


Monsters We Are Made To Be

by cheshire6845



Series: Monsters [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst, Blood Drinking, Gen, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-07-26 08:18:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 40
Words: 64,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7566943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheshire6845/pseuds/cheshire6845
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A/U  Someone wants to kill baby Emma and break the curse that brought the residents of the Enchanted Forest to the Land Without Magic, but a lot happened before the curse was ever cast. Drastic measures must be taken to protect Emma before and after she finds out that fairy tales are real.<br/> </p><p>  <em>The kingdom had fallen; the castle had been taken. The smell of smoke and the sounds of swords clashing filled the corridors, but the Queen forced herself forward. A sword she barely knew how to use gripped in one hand and the small trembling hand of the princess gripped in her other.</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Argh notes, when I really just want to get this started, but a couple of essentials. This is totally an alternate universe story with some of our beloved characters as vampires and werewolves. That being said, I don't know that it's really a vamp story, but more just a story with vamps and werewolves in it, if that makes sense.  
> There are some violent scenes but nothing I feel is overly graphic. However, it is a fic with vampires in it so I will give a BLOOD warning. It's going to happen so don't be surprised.  
> I will be posting in chapters, but the story is complete so no worries it will go unfinished. I'm sure I'll think of more notes as we go along, but I hope you enjoy.

** PROLOGUE **

_Idiot._

The thought floated through her mind as her lungs burned for oxygen. It was a term that had been used to describe Emma Swan many, many times over the years. Always said with a bit of snark, more than a hint of exasperation, and a lot of love. It was usually said when she had done something incredibly stupid. She’d learned to love hearing that particular term of endearment since it meant she had already been forgiven and that whatever dumb thing she’d done hadn’t proven to be a mortal mistake.

Tonight, unfortunately, she knew she would not be hearing that particular affection. She understood that she’d finally committed the stupid mistake that would kill her, and everything changed in the blink of an eye.

_The night started off well. She had dinner at her aunt’s place before leaving for work, and her information had been good. She went to the bar and only had to fend off two unwanted passes before her bail jumper showed up. As he made his way to the bar, she did the same, sidling up next to him as he ordered his drink. He noticed her immediately, gave her body the once over, gauged her interest in him, and to his credit – bolted for the door._

_Swearing, she ran after him and chased him right into Central Park. As they both sprinted down mostly empty sidewalks, she was thrilled she hadn’t gone with the dress option for the night. In her jeans and boots, she could keep up the pace for another half hour; she doubted he could. He may have been fast, but a marathon run is not what he’d been planning on for the evening. After only a few minutes, she was gaining on him._

_“Walsh!”_

_Unexpectedly, he stopped when she called his name, and she allowed her momentum to carry her right into him, tackling him to the ground. The force of her impact drove the knife he held in his hand straight into her chest. The moment stretched out for eternity as she laid on top of him; their expressions of shocked horror strangely mirroring each other._

_He blinked._

“Sorry.”

Her world flipped, and she felt his hand release the hilt that was still protruding from her chest. Walsh hadn’t been a violent offender; he’d been a white collar kind of criminal. Not exactly the most dangerous type she’d ever had to pursue. And yet, her surprise was quickly being replaced with pain. Fire hot tendrils were spreading outwards from her chest as she felt the front of her shirt dampening against her skin. She swallowed, tried to breathe and caused an explosion of agony in her chest. The arm she’d been holding herself up with buckled; the blade knicked and cut precious organs as she slumped against the man below her.

She was unmoving dead weight against him as he slithered from beneath her, pushing her off and onto her side. His brown leather shoes that probably cost more than her car payment were the only thing she could focus on as they appeared right in front of her face. She wanted to breathe; she tried desperately but she felt like a fish gasping on dry land.

And then he did the second unexpected thing of the evening. He moved behind her, hooked his hands under her arms, and tried to lift her. She cried out as muscles and bone stretched and cut against the blade lodged in her chest. For a moment, a brief wonderful moment, she thought he was trying to help her. He hadn’t meant to stab her and now he was trying to get her to the medical help she so desperately needed.

But this wasn’t a fairy tale with a hero that always wins and gets a happy ending, this was New York. Her villain wasn’t lifting her up to carry her to safety in a moment of profound regret and good conscience; he was dragging her towards certain death.


	2. Chapter 2

** The Enchanted Forest – Many, Many Years before Central Park **

She really didn’t want to die.  

The kingdom had fallen; the castle had been taken. The smell of smoke and the sounds of swords clashing filled the corridors, but the Queen forced herself forward. A sword she barely knew how to use gripped in one hand and the small trembling hand of the princess gripped in her other.

_King Leopold was dead. She’d seen her husband’s body with her own two eyes. Three swords were buried in his chest and three men were congratulating themselves when she and her two guards had arrived at the king’s bedchamber. Within minutes, all five men lay dead at each other’s hands, and Regina had been left pulling a thrown dagger out of her thigh._

_Grasping her injured leg, she moved closer to the king and looked down upon him. Despite a loveless marriage that had amounted to nothing more than a sound business arrangement, he had been gentle and kind to her. He’d deserved better than this pointless death. She’d been queen for barely two years; if only her mother could see her now._

_“Father!”_

_Regina moved as fast as she could to intercept the young princess. “No! Snow, don’t!” No one should have to see their father murdered. “He’s gone. I’m sorry.”_

_The young princess sobbed and threw herself into Regina’s arms, colliding painfully with the queen’s injured thigh. Regina grunted and briefly pat Snow on the back before gently pushing her off. “Snow, you need to listen to me. Snow!”_

_Snow’s tear-stained face slowly looked away from her father’s bed and the unmoving body she could see in profile upon it. She looked to the woman that had already saved her life once and frowned noticing the blood on Regina’s hands. “You’re hurt.”_

_“It’s just a scratch, dear,” she said dismissively. “We need to leave this place. Do you know any secret ways out of the castle?”_

_Snow nodded. “In my bedroom, behind the wardrobe there’s a passage that leads down to the river. Father told me to never go in it by myself.”_

_Regina leaned down and picked up a sword from one of her fallen guards. It was heavier than she’d imagined. “Well, you won’t be alone. I’ll be with you. Now lead the way.”_

The sounds of battle continued to echo throughout the castle. Rough shouts and yells of pain provided a horrifying background as the queen and the princess cautiously made their way back to Snow’s bed chamber. Twice they’d had to backtrack or duck into spare rooms in order to avoid being caught. Regina’s thigh burned and felt shakier with every step she took. They were within sight of Snow’s door when two enemy soldiers emerged from the room, catching them with nowhere to hide. Regina raised the sword in front of her as she’d seen her guards do and pushed Snow behind her.

“Well, look what we’ve found here.” The two soldiers laughed. “Two for the price of one.”

“Let us pass and you may keep your lives,” Regina warned.

The two men drew their swords and separated in opposite directions, forcing Regina to turn if she wanted to keep them both in front of her. Snow was against the wall and Regina was in front of Snow. There was no room left for her to maneuver.

“Give us the princess, your Majesty,” the one on the left said. “Our lord has plans for her.”

“Your lord is dead,” she sneered. “The King killed him and his two cohorts.”

The lie made the two soldiers pause briefly.

“You should run now while you still can,” she pushed.

The soldier on her right snorted. “I think I’ll take my chances. Leopold was no soldier. I doubt he wielded a sword any better than you do.” He swung his sword in a wide, slow arc.

Regina moved her weapon up to block the hit. The reverberation from the strike jolted her arm down to her shoulder. She grunted and brought her other hand up to reinforce her grip. Both soldiers laughed until the one nearest Snow’s bedchamber door gagged. All attention turned to him as he clutched a hand to an arrow embedded in the side of his neck and collapsed to the floor.

“What the-”

A second arrow zipped through the air barely missing the second soldier. Regina was just as shocked as the enemy soldier and peered towards Snow’s bedchamber trying to discern who was helping her. Her inattention cost her as she felt the sword knocked from her grasp. She turned in time to see a third arrow fly and strike the enemy soldier in the neck. It was a mortal blow, but not enough to stop him from running his sword straight through Regina’s middle as he staggered and fell.

Snow screamed behind her as Regina watched in shock as the man’s gloved hand slowly uncurled from the sword’s hilt and fell. The girl quieted behind her, falling limp against her back. Regina didn’t know what to do. Her mind was frozen in the burning ice that was spreading outwards from her abdomen. There was a sword protruding from her, logically there wasn’t much she could do. She’d tried to save the princess and failed.

Movement startled her and she found hard pale eyes looking into hers. Regina grasped at the older woman suddenly standing in front of her. Arms stronger than she expected supported her and kept her upright.

“Widow Lucas?” she breathed, thankful the woman was holding onto her. “How did-?” No, that wasn’t important. “Is the princess all right?”

“No, my Queen,” she said and looked down at the sword between them. “You are both run through. I…I wasn’t fast enough.”

Regina moaned. She’d put the girl behind her to protect her. “You have to save her…save the princess…get her out of here.”

The widow hesitated before nodding. “I can save her, your Majesty. There is a way…”

“Do it,” Regina growled, her legs buckled but the older woman kept her upright. “Whatever it is that you have to do…do it. Save her. Take her down the passage-”

“I know about the passage, my Queen. It’s how I found you.” She gripped the hilt of the sword. “Brace yourself.”

Regina screamed as the Widow Lucas pulled the sword from her body. Without the support of the woman or the blade, she slumped to the floor. The pale, unconscious princess fell beside her and Regina reached up a bloody hand to stroke the young girl’s face. “I’m sorry, Snow.”

“Your Majesty?” the older woman knelt by her side, reaching for the princess even as she asked for permission.

“Go!” Regina ordered, letting her head drop back to the floor. “Save her.” In her fading vision, she watched the widow sling her crossbow across her back and then pick up the princess from where she had fallen across her step-mother. She watched as the older woman gave her a solemn nod before disappearing back into the royal bedchambers. She had no idea how the woman could possibly save the princess, but at least the young girl wouldn’t die in the ruins of her father’s castle.

At least, Snow wouldn’t die alone.

Unlike Regina.

She no longer felt any pain just a cold, numbing sensation working its way through her body. She didn’t even feel fear when in her last moments of consciousness, cold fingertips traced across her cheek. She assumed the cold touch was death coming to claim her.

She wasn’t wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Mature rating for this story comes from the violence and blood stuff but nothing sexual. I could probably get away with the lower rating but I'll keep it at M to be on the safe side.
> 
> BLOOD warning - Last time I point this out.

She wasn’t dead.

Her body, her mind, her entire being ached too much to be dead. She couldn’t piece together the hows and whys of her existence. She’d been run through with a sword, a mortal wound in any realm. She could still smell the smoke of ruin clinging to her, the coppery taste of blood in her mouth, but all the sounds of her world coming to an end were quiet. A lethargy of inability held her motionless, the seeping cold of death filled her being, it muted the pain that she knew she should be feeling.

In an effort to understand, she blinked open her eyes and gave herself more questions. She appeared to be in a mausoleum. Perhaps she was dead after all. She could barely feel the stone dais beneath her. Her gaze wandered over the high arched ceiling and the three other tombs beside her. She lay at death’s door, but it wasn’t one she recognized. She had visited Snow’s mother’s gravesite enough times with the young girl to know that she was not in the royal cemetery. Where was she?

“Do not trouble yourself with inconsequential things, young Queen.”

Regina felt herself start slightly at the cool male voice, but her surprise was as muted as everything else when she realized she was no longer alone. His long, cool fingers stroked the side of her face; his warm brown eyes held her entranced.

“I know you,” she whispered, her voice rough.

He had appeared within the kingdom less than a week earlier. He’d claimed to be an ambassador from some far off land. The amount of treasure he’d offered Leopold had allowed him entrance to the castle. His charm and good looks had set every tongue in the castle wagging. Every single one of her ladies’ maids had commented about him; his easy smile, the smooth brown skin, those dark eyes that danced with mischief. More than one had questioned how Regina could sit across from him at dinner every evening without noticing.

She’d noticed.

But now his appearance seemed darker. “Did you…do this?”

“No.” He smiled sadly as his hand brushed over her forehead. “I was merely here to witness events that were already in motion.”

She frowned, trying to make sense of his words. It was difficult when all she wanted to do was rest. “I don’t…you _knew_?”

“Yes.”

“But you didn’t…” Regina watched as he brought her hand to his lips and kissed along the inside of her wrist. She shivered at the sight, startled when she realized she couldn’t feel his touch. “Why?”

“I was only here to observe.” He nuzzled her pulse point. “Until I met you, Regina.” He grazed his teeth across her pale, cold skin. “Your magic called out to me. I regret that I did not find you earlier. I was barely able to pull you away from death’s door.”

“Magic?” she breathed then gasped as his teeth sunk into the delicate skin of her wrist. It was a sharp stab of pain momentarily burning away the fog in her mind before calling it back in even greater thickness. Her vision blurred as she barely comprehended what was happening.

With a growl, he released her and stepped back, his hands fisting at his sides. “Apologies, your Majesty. Even someone as old as I cannot always control themselves.”

She saw him through a daze barely understanding his words, but it was enough to see that his sparkling brown eyes had turned a deep crimson. It should have frightened her, lying helpless in front of the living embodiment of a demon that she’d heard tales about since childhood, but she knew she was dying. It hardly mattered.

He approached again, seemingly calmer. “You are already so close, young Queen.” He rolled back the sleeve of his shirt. “You were brought into this world covered in blood; you’ve run to death’s door with it hot on your body, and now you will be reborn with it.”

Regina watched in confusion as he punctured his own wrist and dragged open a wound along the dark, pulsing vein under his skin. She _felt_ the warm blood as it dripped across her collar bone and cheek. When the first drop her hit lips, Regina knew real fear. This, whatever it was, was nothing she wanted. She tried to turn her head away, but he caught her chin easily and held her in place.

“Drink, Regina.”

She wanted to cry out, to deny what was happening, but she didn’t dare open her mouth as the warm, coppery liquid continued to paint her skin. Strong fingers dug into her jaw, forced her mouth open, and the first drops of his blood fell inside her.

Regina cried deep in her throat, unable to move away, unable to avoid the taste as his blood coated her teeth and gums. She gagged as it accumulated over her tongue and began to slide down her throat. Her body clenched against the unnatural intrusion even as it began to warm again. The cold she had felt since the moment the sword had slid into her body began to recede. Her throat relaxed, and she swallowed more naturally. The iron grip that held her head in place loosened, the hand moved away to stroke gently over her hair instead. The bleeding wrist never left her mouth.

Regina began to drink.

She gulped deep, long swallows that chased away the cold. She was able to raise her arms, her hands were able to grip again, and locking her eyes on his she bit down on his flesh encouraging the flow. He hissed and for the first time she saw the sharp, pointed teeth that had punctured her skin. She smiled against his wrist, sucking more of his blood into her mouth until she saw him shudder.

“That’s enough, my young Queen,” he breathed out and tried to pull his wrist away from her.

She held onto him, sank her blunted teeth again into his offered appendage, and growled.

“Enough,” he tried again. “Enough, Regina!” He tore his arm free from her grip, backing away, leaving them both gasping. They watched each other carefully as he tied a bandage around the seeping wound and then ran a hand over his hair.

Regina sat up and licked her lips clean of his blood unaware that the warm brown of her own eyes had turned a dark crimson. “More.”

“I know.” He bowed slightly. “I will help you as much as I can over these next few days, but I must recover.” He moved past her and lifted the heavy slab of stone away from the sarcophagus next to her. “My apologies, your Majesty, but the process is not easy.”

As if cued by his words, the warmth created in her gut from feeding began to burn hotter. She placed a hand over her middle. “What’s happening?”

“You are changing. You are becoming like me.” He took her hand and helped her stand. “Until the process is complete, you will be a danger to yourself and everyone around you.”

Something in her gut tore apart, and she cried out, collapsing against him. He cradled her in his arms, lifting her easily. “I apologize, my young Queen, for everything that is about to happen.”

She realized he was lowering her into the empty sarcophagus and she panicked. “Please, what are you doing!” She cried out as another pain tore across her chest. “Merlin, please! Don’t do this!”

Merlin gently but firmly pulled her hand free from his shirt. “I’m sorry, my Queen, but I must.” He slid the stone covering back in place, leaving only a sliver open. “I will return, your Majesty. This is only temporary.”

He leaned back and pulled the slab into place, silencing Regina’s scream as darkness engulfed her.

For three days, Regina died. Every tendon and muscle shriveled and tore, her bones petrified and cracked, and her thirst burned through her flesh. She had only minutes of respite when the darkness would be shattered and Merlin would appear over her, offering himself, feeding her, quenching the thirst for breathtaking minutes of bliss.

Once when he appeared, he offered her something else. He offered her _someone_ else. In a fevered bliss of confusion, she accepted what was offered without question or hesitation. The sweet taste of fresh blood suffused her and for the first time in days she felt truly sated. The ache in her bones receded and muscles began to relax. Realization of what she had done set in slowly as she watched Merlin gently lower the body to the floor of the mausoleum.

“Merlin? W-who was that?”

“No one of consequence,” he said. “You’re almost there, my Queen.”

She felt nauseous. The blissful ignorance of moments earlier was quickly engulfed with guilt. “Did I…did I kill him?”

“Please, my Queen.” He gently pushed against her shoulder, urging her to lie back. She mutely followed his instruction as he lifted the stone slab of the sarcophagus into place. “Tonight, my queen, I will lift this off of you, and we will complete the transformation. I will escort you to your new home. You will never feel this sort of pain again. You will be what you were meant to be. And we will be together.”

Regina touched his face with her fingers, understanding slowly suffused her being. “I’m the same as you now?”

“You are so much more, my Queen.” He kissed her fingertips. “Rest now. Tomorrow you will start your new life.”

The young queen nodded and allowed him to cover her once again in darkness. It no longer frightened her. She had found her peace in the darkness. Tomorrow she would begin to move forward as the new creature she had become. She would start a new life and forget all the pain she had suffered in her past.

Tomorrow she would join Merlin in the light.


	4. Chapter 4

** 100 Years Later **

The wolves were anxious. Until the magical barrier was dropped, they could do nothing. They were used to leading the charge, but in this battle, the fairies were the front line. A few of the older wolves sat patiently waiting but most had too much energy for that sort of serenity. Several danced about, their paws constantly in motion. Others nipped and played around with each other, no one knowing how long their wait would be.

One wolf paced religiously up and down along the perimeter, all senses on high alert, waiting for any shift in the magical current. Her mate stayed near her, always watching over her, offering support and comfort whenever possible but giving her the space she needed. He knew this night and this castle were particularly important to her.

After years of fighting, this was to be the last battle. It was the last stronghold of the Evil Queen, the woman who had wreaked havoc throughout the Enchanted Forest for decades. A sorceress that had the most powerful magic anyone had ever seen; a mad woman that maimed and killed on the slightest of whims. Her evil influence had built an army against the light; she had slaughtered entire villages for standing against her. And the rumors of what she did to people before she killed them ran rampant throughout the forest.

Despite her many facades, it seemed the one trait the Evil Queen could not hide was her desire to drink human blood. In every battle and every story, it was the one detail that was confirmed each and every time. She would stride through the middle of battles, untouched by blood or blade, choosing victims at random to sate her desire. No one knew her true identity, she could appear as anyone, but the consumption of blood and a scream of pure insanity at the taste of it were practically her calling cards. She made no efforts to hide her victims, and it truly made her the monster everyone thought her to be.

It had been two weeks since she’d been seen; two weeks since the Army of Light’s last battle in which they’d taken the castle they _thought_ had been her fortress. They’d found a monster there; a monster of the Evil Queen’s own making. One she had sired and left in charge of her house of horrors for that is what the fortress had been. The beast had been a pleasure to kill, and they’d razed the fortress to the ground.

Two weeks later and events had come full circle for the wolf that paced along the magical line, feeling the spark of the protection spell biting at her fur. A lifetime ago, this had been her castle. The last time she’d been this close to it had been that night of blood and violence when she’d lost her father, her step-mother, and her home in a matter of hours. It was also the night she had been turned into what she was now. Granny Lucas had saved Snow White’s life that night by making her a werewolf.

And now Snow returned to the castle that was her birthright on another night of violence and death. She vowed that it would not be she or hers that suffered this night. Tonight Snow White would give others the gift of death. Tonight she would get the revenge she hadn’t ever realized she wanted. She would kill the Evil Queen and end the circle of madness that had brought her back to her childhood home.

Her mate whined and trotted over to stand beside her. The entire pack had perked up, everyone sensed a change in the air; even the elders stood, stretched, and shook out their old bones. The magic was weakening. The wolves pawed at the ground, haunches tightened ready to spring into action, growls escaping their throats. It was almost time. Snow could feel it; she leapt forward the instant the spell dropped.

The pack fell in behind her as they raced towards the dark castle. Soldiers and all manner of other physical beings swarmed towards the castle from all sides, but Snow had the edge. This had been her playground; she knew exactly where she was going. While fairies pelted the castle from the air and soldiers beat against the walls, the wolf pack squeezed through a hidden crack in the wall and raced up a set of stairs that hadn’t been used in years. They emerged minutes later in a servant’s corridor empty of any dark soldiers.

The pack’s Alpha took charge and split the pack into two. He would lead half towards the main hall to support the rest of their army. Snow would lead a team to wherever she thought it most likely the Evil Queen would be cowering. Snow raced upstairs for the king’s bedchamber, her mate and five brothers and sisters following behind her.

They reached the landing for the royal bedchambers when they encountered their first resistance. A company of dark soldiers manned the corridor, shocked at the sudden presence of a half-dozen wolves among them. The soldiers were no match for the biting, growling frenzy of wolves working together, and when they all lay dead or dying, Snow’s mate continued towards the main chamber hesitating when he realized Snow wasn’t with him.

Snow hung back and her sister whined at her side. The company of soldiers had not been there for show. They had been stationed in that corridor to protect something or someone, but a scent in the air had Snow turning away from her father’s former bedchamber. Every instinct told her to head for her mother’s chambers instead – the queen’s chambers. The pack followed her and as they moved closer, Snow’s sister whined again. They could hear children crying.

With a snarl and a collective growl, the pack charged towards the ornate doors marking the queen’s bedchambers and burst inside. The room stunk of burned flesh causing Snow to recoil even though the source wasn’t immediately evident. The entire room was an assault on the senses and a puzzle of confusing images.

Six children of varying ages stood alongside the wall nearest the door, appearing unharmed even though most had tear-stained cheeks. Three of Snow’s brothers immediately went to the children offering them comfort and protection while Snow, her sister, and mate moved further into the room. Their senses were vibrating at all the magic and power in the air until finally they saw her. The Evil Queen was a collapsed figure under the window in the farthest corner of the room.

David, Snow’s mate, snarled and took a step forward, but Snow blocked him with her shoulder. Something wasn’t right here. It was hard to dismiss the scent of burned flesh, but there was also another scent in the air. One that she had never smelled as a wolf before but inherently recognized. Her sister whined, desperate for an explanation. The figure on the floor barely moved.

“Don’t ‘urt her.”

All the wolves in the room looked towards the small voice that had spoken. One of the older children, his hands wrapped in the fur of Snow’s brother, wiped his arm across his nose and sniffed. “Please, don’t hurt her. She’s been in enough pain.”

A small girl next to the boy nodded. “She kept us safe from the bad men.”

Confusion ran rampant between the wolves until the woman in question began to move. Ruby, Snow’s sister, growled as chains slid across the stone floor and the Evil Queen lifted her head and laboriously pushed herself up to her elbows. Black sunken eyes glared at the three wolves standing closest to her. “Kill…me.”

Her voice was guttural and a fresh wave of burnt flesh had David instinctively retreating a step. Snow’s eyes were blown wide with recognition of the woman in front of her. It had been a hundred years, but her step-mother hadn’t aged a day. She looked dreadful with pale, sallow skin, disheveled hair, and purplish black smudges under her eyes, but she was every bit the twenty-three-year-old Regina that Snow had last seen standing in front of her, protecting her in this very castle.

The chains rustled again as her step-mother tried to sit up. It was then Snow finally noticed the thick, silver cuffs attached to Regina’s wrists and the scorched flesh that peaked out from beneath them. Snow whined and moved closer. Her step-mother snarled at her timid approach and flashed elongated fangs at the three wolves in front of her.

“Do what you came here for,” she snarled, her voice was gravel and glass. “Kill me.”

Another sniffle of ‘no’s’ came from the children and Snow looked apologetically at David. He and Ruby both shook their heads at what they knew Snow was about to do, but clearly this situation was going to require a bit more than non-verbal communication. She braced herself to revert to her human form when a blast of magic shot over Snow’s head, hurling Regina against the back wall. Snow whirled in surprise to see the Blue Fairy flying in from the balcony, wand up and ready to throw another spell.

Snow growled as her step-mother’s unconscious form crumpled to the floor and moved quickly to put herself between the chained woman and another blast of fairy magic. David moved to her side, protecting her back from Regina while Ruby stood at Snow’s opposite side, still clearly confused but willing to back Snow’s play.

“What are you doing?” Blue demanded to know. They had the Evil Queen on the ropes; this was no time to show mercy. “Move aside.”

“No.”

Snow’s voice shocked the fairy. It was unheard of for one of the wolves to change during the middle of a battle, but then the young brunette woman uncurled from the floor and stood before her in all her naked human glory.

“Snow?” Blue asked in complete confusion. “What are you doing?”

Two of Snow’s brothers chuffed at her and David growled quietly from behind her. Snow rolled her eyes and grabbed a throw off the unkempt bed and wrapped it around her shoulders. “There’s more going on here than what we thought. This woman, this Evil Queen, appears to be a prisoner.”

“She can appear to be many things, Snow. We know this,” Blue argued. “I do not understand your sudden reluctance.”

Snow pointed at the children along the wall. “This so-called Evil Queen has been protecting children.” She crossed the room, patting her brother on the head before kneeling down to be at the same level as the two kids who had spoken. “You said she protected you. How?”

The little girl reached up a hand and stroked the side of Snow’s face. “You were a wolf-y. I saw you.”

Snow grasped the young girl's hand and nodded. “Yes, I was. But right now, I’d like for you to tell me about the woman in the corner.”

“She was supposed to feed on us,” the older boy said, taking the younger girl’s hand in his own. “That’s what the guards said. It’s what they told her. Said she wouldn’t be getting anything else.”

Snow frowned. “But she’s chained up and all of you are way over here.”

“She can compel us.” The boy shrugged. “She told us to stay over here out of her reach. She wouldn’t let us come near her.”

“And she wouldn’t let the bad men come near us except to bring us food and water. If they tried anything else,” the little girl said, joining the story, “she blasted them even though it hurt her.”

“It hurt her to use magic?” Snow asked.

All of the children nodded. A third little boy sniffed. “The cuffs burn her when she magics stuff.”

“When she saw your army was outside, she got burned real bad,” the little girl said, scratching behind the ear of one of the wolves.

Snow looked up at the older boy. “Why did she get hurt so bad tonight?”

“She was trying to undo her master’s spell,” he said. “She said if she could bring it down, you would save us.”

“She was trying to pull down the barrier?” Snow asked and the boy nodded. She turned to look at Blue. “I thought you and the fairies broke through it.”

“We did,” Blue insisted. “It took all of our magic combined, but we broke through. I’m sure she was trying to keep the barrier in place.”

A low growl from David brought everyone’s attention back to the corner. The chained woman was regaining consciousness. Snow began to approach her when a pulse of magic hurled her, Blue, David and Ruby away from the corner. Blue recovered quickly and raised her wand but Snow stopped her. “Wait!”

Regina stayed up against the wall but held out a shaking hand. “I haven’t fed in weeks. If you come closer…I won’t be able to stop myself.”

“Monster,” Blue hissed under her breath.

Snow glared at the fairy. “For warning us?” She took one step forward but stopped when her step-mother flinched. “Regina?”

The dark woman’s head snapped up. “How do you know my name?”

Snow moved closer, putting herself in the pale light filtering in through the window. “Because I know you, Regina. You saved my life twice.” She exposed her abdomen and the long, pale scar that ran along it. “I’m Snow White.”


	5. Chapter 5

Regina rested in the dark. The dungeon cell was a bit damp and musty, but for the first time in longer than she could remember, she wasn’t in any pain. They’d brought her a deer to feed on and the constant hunger and staggering thirst she’d suffered for two weeks was finally quenched. The pulsing ache behind her eyes had receded, and the master’s constant buzz of pressure had fallen away the same time as the barrier had collapsed. The heroes of light had been reluctant to remove the silver cuffs that somewhat restrained her magic, but since she no longer felt any need to work against the natural inhibitor in the silver, it wasn’t burning her anymore.

“Hello, Regina.”

She inhaled deeply, not because she needed the air, but because she wanted to mark the scent before she opened her eyes. She’d been out of her mind before, barely holding on to any one thought, and not entirely interested in trying to figure out the puzzle that showed her long presumed dead step-daughter standing in front of her. But now she was curious and the answer was obvious. The dog smell gave her away. “The Widow Lucas kept her secrets well.”

Snow ducked her head as she stood on the opposite side of the bars. “Yes, she did. She’s upstairs; I could ask her to come down and see you later if you’d like.”

Regina shook her head. “No, that won’t be necessary.” She opened her eyes finally and took in the sight of her grown step-daughter. “The wolf genes slow your aging?”

Snow nodded. “In a few decades, I’ll appear older than you.”

“I doubt I’ll live that long.”

“Are you ill? Regina, if there’s something you need, tell me.”

Regina held up a hand; the concept of someone having concern for her was foreign and not something she wanted to address. “I’m the Evil Queen, Snow. I’m quite sure I’ll be executed for my crimes before I see you age a day.”

Snow lowered her head. “So, you are her?”

“You doubted it?”

“I don’t understand how it could be you. The woman I knew wasn’t capable of the horrors that have been committed by the Evil Queen. The woman I knew literally gave her life trying to protect me.”

“That woman has been dead a long time.”

Snow shook her head. “I don’t believe that. The Evil Queen slaughtered hundreds of people over the years, men, women, and children. She drank the blood of her enemies and used magic to torture and maim.” She gestured vaguely in the direction of the tower. “The woman we found yesterday in that bed chamber had been starving herself for weeks and causing herself grievous harm to protect six small children,” Snow argued. “Explain to me how these two women are one and the same because I don’t understand how that’s possible.”

“My dear Snow, whether you want to believe it or not, I have done _unspeakable_ things. I’ve committed atrocities, and I deserve to be punished. And now, after a hundred years, I’ll finally be free.” She rested her head against the bars of her cell. “I look forward to the peaceful sleep of death.”

It still didn’t make any sense and Regina’s freely admitted confessions weren’t helping the matter. Snow decided to try a different tact. “Two weeks ago, we stormed a castle. We found the Evil Queen’s dungeon and the demon she sired.”

“I have sired no one!” Regina hissed. “In one hundred years, it is the one crime I have not committed.”

Snow tilted her head in question. “Then who was he?”

Regina’s nostrils flared and she stalked to the back of her cell, seeking comfort in the shadows as she battled the response that had been trained into her.

“Regina?” Snow tried to see her in the shadows. “Was he the one that sired you?”

“No,” a low growl answered, “but he was the one that made me into a monster.”

Snow heeded the shiver of danger that raced down her spine and stepped away from the bars of the cell. She felt quite sure it was the Evil Queen and not Regina that had answered her. “Regina?”

A low, seductive voice emanated from the dark. “Is that what he told you? That _I_ enslaved _him_?”

“Yes.” Snow felt an energy pressing against her that was almost palpable. It wasn’t quite magic, but she could feel it encouraging her, compelling her. “Regina?”

“Did you kill him?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me how,” she purred.

A hazy mist was creeping into Snow’s mind. Her wolf growled at it and she gave her head a hard shake. “Regina, stop it!”

The energy dissipated immediately and there was a small gasp from the shadows. “…my apologies, Princess.”

Despite the situation, Snow chuckled, breaking the tension. “No one has called me that in a long time.” She stepped close to the bars again, her wolf once again feeling calm as her breathing returned to normal. “Please come back out where I can see you.”

Regina moved into the light but stayed at the back of the cell. She settled onto the bunk and pulled her knees up to her chest. Coming to a decision, Snow retrieved a stool from an empty cell and sat down in front of the bars. “Why don’t you start at the beginning?”

Regina looked up from the study of her knees. “What?”

“I can start if it would make you feel better, but there’s not that much to my story." Snow shrugged. "The last thing I remember is you pushing me behind you and the two enemy soldiers laughing. Three days later, I woke up and Granny told me I was a werewolf. I joined her pack and grew up alongside her granddaughter who was a natural werewolf.” She offered Regina a smile. “I dare say I got into way more trouble with Ruby than you would have ever allowed.”

A single dark eyebrow cocked upwards. “Undoubtedly.”

Snow’s smile faltered and she looked thoughtful. “I just realized. I never thanked you.”

“For what?”

“You saved my life, Regina.”

The woman in the cell shook her head. “Widow Lucas saved your life.”

“She told me you died trying to protect me that night,” Snow argued. “She respected you and Granny doesn’t respect anyone that hasn’t earned it.”

“I doubt she would respect the things I’ve done since that night.”

“Will you tell me about it,” Snow requested gently. “How did you get like this?”

Regina leaned her head back against the wall. She didn’t know why she should bother; it wouldn’t change anything. The fairy had been right when she’d called her a monster.

“Regina?”

She sighed. “Do you remember a man arriving at the castle about a week before…everything happened? His name was Merlin.”

“Yes, actually,” Snow said after a moment of thought. “He did magic tricks for all the kids whenever there weren’t any adults around.”

It shouldn’t have surprised Regina. “Well, they weren’t just tricks. Merlin was a powerful sorcerer, maybe the most powerful our land has ever known. And he was a vampire.” Snow’s eyes widened. “That night he found me dying in the corridor; he sired me into this new…life.” The chain between her wrists clinked as she gestured. “The change took three excruciating days. On the morning of the third, he promised he would return for me in the evening and we could start our new life together, but I never saw him again.”

“What happened?” Snow asked.

“The creature that had sired him killed him,” she said. “I didn’t know it at the time, and it was many years before I found out, but Merlin had chosen me for my magic. I’d barely used it at the time he found me, but combined with his blood running through my veins, I became powerful. _Very_ powerful. And there are always those that covet power.” She paused, resisting the impulse to release her fangs. She was going to want more blood by the time she finished this tale. “Merlin had magic before he was turned. The beast that sired him knew this; it was why he turned Merlin. He thought he’d be able to control Merlin and have the power for himself. Much to the Master’s chagrin, Merlin couldn’t be controlled. But my Master was patient. He knew if Merlin ever sired anyone, that person would have Merlin’s power. He knew _I_ had Merlin’s power.”

Snow wondered if Regina realized she had referred to him as her master.

“When Merlin didn’t return, I freed myself from the sarcophagus that had been my haven during the transformation, but the Master wanted me weak. He trapped me within the crypt.” Her blood burned at the memory. “Do you have any idea how thirsty a newly born vampire is? I beat myself bloody against the walls trying to escape. I went insane with thirst within a week; the master kept me trapped inside the crypt for a month.”

“Oh, Regina,” Snow gasped. That first month of transitioning to the life of a werewolf had been horrible enough with the support of her pack; she couldn’t imagine how she would have managed in complete isolation.

Regina didn’t seem to hear her. “When he finally opened the crypt door, the sun was just starting to rise. I was blinded in the light after so long in the dark. He dragged me out into a field and staked me down. For a new vampire, the sun was torture. As the light washed over me, my blood ran feverishly hot and my senses were on overload. I could _feel_ all the life around me; I could hear the heartbeats and the thrum of blood for every living creature that was nearby. I screamed my throat raw, and unfortunately, someone heard me.” She swallowed thickly. “A family with a wagon on their way to market or town, I never knew, but the father found me. He released one of my arms; it was all I needed. I fed on him. His wife. Their two children.” The memory washed over her causing a mix of self-hatred and thirst. “As luck would have it, another wagon came along, two men were driving it. I fed on them, too. Afterwards, I retreated to the shadows of the trees and slowly started to come back to myself. I saw the destruction I had wrought; I felt their blood drying on my clothes. I was horrified at what I had done.” She looked up to gauge her audience. “But I still wanted more.”

Snow nodded, acknowledging the need Regina must’ve felt in that moment. Her wolf whimpered in understanding. A frenzy was difficult to stop.

“The Master found me sitting in the woods.” She stopped and gave her head a shake. “I should say that’s when he chose to make himself known. I was feverish from the sun, weak, scared and, of course, thirsty. He said he wanted to help me; he pushed a young man towards me. The boy knelt at my feet and offered me his throat. I couldn’t resist. The sweet taste of his blood was the last thing I knew of the Enchanted Forest for many years.

“The master had dosed the boy with about ten different kinds of magic. I woke up a month later in the Master's dungeons. I’d become completely enthralled to him as he moved me out of our kingdom and across many lands to get me to his home. The enthrallment of another vampire doesn’t last, but by the time I recovered, he’d bonded our magics together so tightly I couldn’t resist him.”

“He _controlled_ you?” Snow asked.

“At first, yes,” she replied quietly in an almost whisper. “But after many years, my actions became my own.” She held Snow’s eye. “He may have been the architect, but I _chose_ to do the things the Evil Queen did. He would show me mercy, and the Queen would do as she pleased.”

“Mercy?”

The instinctual flinch caught Regina off guard. It had been a while since she hadn’t been able to repress it. Mercy had been what he had called it. It was his _mercy_ that eventually ended any punishment she’d been forced to endure. During the first thirty years of her training under his hand, she had been shown very few mercies. The seventy years she’d acted as his Evil Queen had been almost worse.

Footsteps sounded in the corridor and both women looked to the newcomer. The old woman that appeared nodded at Snow and looked through the bars at Regina. “Hello, child.”

Regina felt genuine amusement tug at the corner of her mouth. There were so few who could call themselves older than her. “Widow Lucas.”

With a small smile of acknowledgment, the old wolf turned her attention back to Snow. “The council is waiting for you. I’ll sit with the young queen until you can return.”

Snow glanced at Regina and started to object but saw Granny already had her knitting out as she took Snow’s place on the stool. She gave an apologetic shrug to Regina and a quick peck of a kiss to Granny’s cheek before leaving.

Regina eyed the old woman, waited for the inevitable questions. When they didn’t come and the old wolf seemed content in the shared silence, she closed her eyes and rested.


	6. Chapter 6

Snow strode towards her father’s old war room to meet with the Elder’s Council. Ruby fell in beside her as she walked, nervously glancing at her multiple times. Snow appreciated the support but the anxious waves rolling off her friend weren’t helping. Even her wolf was restless and she knew having to deal with the council wasn’t going to help matters.

Entering the war room, everyone present turned to eye the new arrival. David smiled and stepped away from the conversation he was having with Graham, a regular human that sat as the wolves’ representative on the council, and approached her.

“Tread carefully,” he whispered in her ear. “Blue has been talking to the Alpha.”

It should have worried her more that her pack alpha was unhappy with her, but she couldn’t seem to care. The fact that Blue was unhappy with her was old news, but if she didn’t care about her alpha, then she certainly didn’t give a damn about Blue’s opinion.

Except that Blue sat on the council and that could prove to be a problem.

Graham signaled for her to step forward. “Are you ready?”

She nodded and the five sitting members of the council, Graham, Blue, and three humans took their appointed seats around the war table. Her Alpha, David, Ruby, and an assorted amount of guards remained standing along the walls of the room. Their presence was allowed but not entirely welcomed. Snow took a deep breath and attempted to calm her wolf.

“Did you speak to the prisoner?”

“Yes.”

“Did you confirm that she is the former wife of King Leopold?”

Snow’s eyes narrowed at the question. “Yes, she is my step-mother and her formal title is Queen Regina.”

“Does she go by any other names or titles?” One of the humans asked. “Such as The Evil Queen?”

Snow hesitated but there was really no way around it. “Yes, she admitted that she was the embodiment of that persona.”

A satisfied smirk lit Blue’s expression. “And did she admit to any remorse for her many crimes?”

Sort of. “I have reason to believe that Queen Regina was not in complete control of herself as the Evil Queen.”

There was a collective rustle around the room, except from Blue who never looked away from Snow. “That does not answer my question, Snow.”

“Based on my limited conversation with the queen, I believe her Majesty was acting under the influence of another when she committed the crimes for which she stands accused.”

One of the humans frowned. “While your loyalty and dedication to your step-mother is admirable, wolf, you were not asked here to give opinions.”

“And the issue of Regina’s guilt has already been decided,” Blue informed her coldly. “She will be put to death. However, if she has shown any remorse for her actions, her execution will be swift.”

“And if she hasn’t?” Snow asked, glancing at Graham who had remained quiet during the discussion.

“She will be persuaded to see the error of her ways prior to her execution.”

Snow felt the blood leave her face. “You’re going to _torture_ her?” She glared at Graham. “And you went along with this?”

Graham gave her a look of warning.

“Gentlemen, I believe we have the answer to our question,” Blue stated. “Clearly, the Evil Queen does not regret her actions or Snow would’ve said as much.”

“Actually, she referred to her acts as unspeakable and atrocious,” Snow argued. “Kind of like how this council is acting.”

“That’s enough, Snow,” a low voice barked from behind her. “Stand down.”

Snow’s wolf bristled at the command. It seemed the older she became the less authority her wolf was inclined to recognize. “Why should I? This council is a farce. I thought we stood for more-” The alpha’s pressure against her was overwhelming and her wolf whined in submission.

“You will hold your tongue, pup,” the Alpha barked as he moved forward. “Now remove yourself while I apologize for your behavior.”

Snow’s wolf stiffened at being called a pup, but she knew she wasn’t ready to challenge the alpha for dominance. Not in this setting in front of these people who had no reason to be involved in pack business. She glanced at the members of the council; all of them but Graham looked back at her. Blue’s smirk was enough to raise her wolf’s hackles, but a sliver of political etiquette that her mother had ingrained in her at an early age remained. She nodded and turned to leave. David and Ruby were at the door already waiting for her, but the Alpha’s lieutenant blocked her path.

“This isn’t over, Snow,” he warned, his wolf showing in his eyes. “There will be a reckoning.”

She allowed her wolf to surface and return his glare. “Good.”


	7. Chapter 7

Regina’s hearing was excellent, and as she sat quietly, alone in her cell, content in her peace, she had been entertained by all sorts of snippets of conversations for the past two days. Some she was quite certain she had been meant to overhear; some of which she had not. Guards that thought they were far enough away had openly discussed her fate. It seemed a foregone conclusion that she would be executed and because of, or in spite of, her previous royal standing (the opinions were divided on her royal credentials); the spectacle was going to be public. _Very_ public. In fact, the event had even been delayed in order to give more people time to attend. Her death would represent the end of the war.

What was not so certain was the recanting of her deeds. There seemed to be quite the betting pool regarding which methods would be used to persuade her and how long it would take for her to break. She scoffed at their naivety. It had taken a dark master thirty years to compel her, and they thought sunlight, fairy magic, and human methods would influence her in an afternoon. The idea was laughable.

When the wolf known as Red had brought her a live pheasant for dinner on the first night, she suggested the girl place a large bet on her outlasting any punishment that could be meted out. The girl’s reaction had been an interesting blush of color to her face and a hurried departure. It was only after her departure that Regina noticed the girl’s scent was similar to the Widow Lucas.

On her second day, the snippets of conversation became even more interesting. Apparently, there was dissension among the wolf pack. The Alpha hadn’t been formally challenged, but his authority had been thrown into question. It was entirely possible there would soon be two packs and only one was interested in answering to the Elder’s Council. The majority of that conversation had come from Red speaking exuberantly to a guard. When the guard had tried to quiet her, Red had scoffed and ridiculed his belief that the Evil Queen was some sort of vampire with super hearing. What utter nonsense.

Regina was still considering Red’s obvious lie to the guard late into the evening when she heard and then smelled an interesting party headed her way. She got to her feet and waited expectantly for her step-daughter to appear. The half dozen wolves that arrived with her provided the intrigue.

Regina gave Snow a genuine smile. “You were born to be a queen. It was only a matter of time before you tired of following others.”

“Well, now I’m an alpha of outcasts,” Snow grimaced. She began to unlock Regina’s cell.

Regina was instantly wary. “What are you doing?”

Snow opened the cell door. “The woman I know you are does not deserve to die for the things done in another’s name. I know you said you looked forward to death and the peace it would bring you, but I want you to live. You _deserve_ a second chance.”

Regina took a step forward and the large, brindle wolf at Snow’s side growled in warning. She didn’t know his scent, but she did recognize the two Lucas wolves. The one with auburn streaks of fur took a bold step towards her. “Snow, I can’t just _join_ your pack.”

The brindle wolf shook his head and pawed at the ground; Snow rested her hand on his head. “No, you can’t, but I’ve made a deal with Rumplestiltskin-”

“You. Did. What?” Regina closed the distance between them in a single powerful stride. The brindle bared his teeth at her and she hissed back at him. “Oh, be quiet. If you were so protective, you wouldn’t have let her anywhere near that malevolent imp.” She returned her attention to Snow. “What kind of deal did you make with him?  What did you promise?”

One of the wolves closest to the entrance of the dungeons whined. They were running out of time.

Snow took Regina’s hand in hers, tightening her grip when the older woman tried to jerk free. “Please, Regina, if you say yes, he’ll open a portal so you can escape to another realm. All he wanted in return was a hair from me and a hair from David.”

It was never that simple with the Dark One, but it sounded like the deal had already been struck. Regina shook her head. “Who’s David?”

Snow smiled and looked down at the brindle wolf. “My mate.”

The possibilities were endless when she tried to think of how Rumplestiltskin could use such ingredients. A furry head bumped her free hand and she looked down in time to see Ruby gently bite her dress and try to pull her forwards. They needed to leave whether she wanted to or not, and it didn’t seem like they were going anywhere without her. She sighed. “Fine. Yes. I’ll come with you.”

Snow beamed and squeezed her hand. “Rumplestiltskin!”

“Well, it’s about time, dearie. I was growing tired of waiting,” the imp said, appearing in the dungeon corridor. “I don’t think you’ll be needing those any longer.” He snapped his fingers and the silver cuffs fell from Regina’s wrists, leaving behind bands of darkened, abused skin. The sound of men shouting could be heard from the upper levels of the castle. “I think that’s our cue to conduct our business elsewhere.”

With another snap of the imp’s fingers, the entire group found themselves in the woods with Snow’s childhood home barely visible on the horizon. “Now. Run along little doggies; the Queen and I have business to attend to.”

More than one of the wolves growled at the insult but Snow put her hand down to them, holding them back. “Where will you send her?”

“Oh. Well,” he said with overly dramatic flair, “I have a lovely little sea-side village in mind. Plenty of cloud cover for all those nasty vampiric allergies.”

“That sounds nice,” Snow said, trying to look hopeful for Regina.

“Yes. It does.” Regina glared at Rumplestiltskin. “What’s the catch?”

The imp huffed loudly. “Do you want to escape this realm or not? I do have better things to do.”

“Oh, really?” It didn’t escape Regina’s notice that he avoided answering the question. “Since when did you learn how to portal jump? Last time I saw you with my master you were still trying to find magic beans.”

Darkness glittered in the imp’s eyes. “Still calling him master? It’s a hard habit to break isn’t it, dearie?”

Regina welcomed the burn of magic to her palm. “Do not mock me, imp. I still remember the spell you gave him to use on me.”

“A deal’s a deal,” he said, but the flippancy of earlier had left his tone. “I knew you were strong enough to survive him.” After a moment, he looked away and frowned at the sight of Snow. “Why are you still here?  Shoo, shoo, go away.”

Snow looked incredulous, but Regina stopped her from saying anything. “You should go.” She nodded to the wolves who were all scattered around the clearing. “You have a pack to lead now, and I apparently have a sea-side village to retire to.”

“We’ll see each other again someday, Regina,” Snow promised. “This isn’t good-bye.”

“Yes, yes, it’s just good-bye for now,” the Dark One mocked. “Last chance, dearie.”

Regina inclined her head to Snow and returned her attention to Rumple. “Fine, Imp. Impress me. How are you going to open a portal?”

“Magic bean, of course.” He held up a crystal clear bean. “A deal’s a deal, after all. Did you think there was another way?”

“There’s always another way with you.”

He snickered and tossed the bean toward the trees. A swirling vortex of browns and greens opened almost immediately. “Your Majesty’s portal.”

The last thing Regina heard as she walked into the portal was the howling of a wolf, and then she found herself standing on a hard stone walkway. The forest was gone and pale, grey sky replaced the dark night of the Enchanted Forest. She took in her surroundings and thought it was the oddest village she had ever seen. The buildings were huge, all varied in shape and size and structure. They appeared sturdier than any peasant village she’d come across and yet she saw no stone structures. Strange lights that glowed without fire lit the path and she wondered where the hell Rumplestiltskin had sent her.

“Well, it’s about time you got here,” a voice said from behind her. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting?”

Regina spun around and called fire to her hand. A tall woman with pale skin and red hair stood on the stone path. She grinned at the fireball. “Oh, well done. I wondered if you’d be able to keep your magic.”

The fireball was taking more effort to maintain than Regina had ever needed to use before but that wasn’t something anyone else needed to know. “Who are you?”

The woman gave her a wide toothy smile. “I’m your sister.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do enjoy giving the characters a line of their own dialogue from the show here and there.   
> Hope you are enjoying the story and thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

“Now, put that away before you attract tourists,” Zelena said dismissively, indicating the fireball. “They tend to stare when they see magic or,” she gave Regina a thorough once over, her gaze lingering on her sister’s scarred wrists, “vampires.”

Regina snuffed out the fireball, sensing no immediate threat from the woman. “Where are we?”

Zelena looked surprised. “Really? That’s what you’re starting with? Not something a bit more personal like how could we possibly be related?”

Regina shrugged, feigning indifference. “Fine. Why do you think we’re related?”

The red-head leaned in when she spoke their mother’s name. “Cora.” She expected the scoff that answered and waved it off. “I’m her first born. Illegitimately though.” She half curtsied. “Mother wasn’t quite the paragon of innocence when she married your dear papa.”

It honestly wasn’t that hard for Regina to believe. Her mother had never shown any signs of love towards her father. As she’d gotten older, she’d wondered how she had even been conceived since her parents barely spoke to one another.

Zelena interrupted her thoughts. “Trust me when I say the smartest thing you ever did in your life was ridding yourself of that woman. Pushing her through that looking glass…” she winked, “that was _wicked_.”

“That was an accident.” One that Regina didn’t regret but it had taught her an important lesson about how her emotions tied into her magic.

“Really?” She seemed unconvinced. “Well, it was a fortunate accident,” Zelena quipped. “ _Mother_ didn’t fare well in Wonderland. Got a little too familiar with the ruling magistrate and,” she clucked her tongue, “lost her head.”

The small pang of sympathy Regina felt at finally knowing her mother’s fate was surprising. She walked a few steps away from her sister and noticed the near-by harbor. The sun was coming up over the calm water filled with boats the likes of which she had never seen before. She frowned; there were so many questions. “No one knew about the looking glass. Not even father.” She looked back over her shoulder. “How did you?”

“I’ve been watching you your whole life, little sis.” Zelena sauntered over and joined her against the railing that over looked the small port. “Our mother gave me up, left me for dead, but you…you she kept. And you had everything you ever wanted handed to you on a silver platter. Literally,” she said dryly. “I was envious of you for years, but,” she dipped her shoulder in Regina’s direction, “I got over it. I made my own life; I had power, fortune, magic. I became more than she could have ever imagined, and when she found out about me, when she found out I lived despite her best efforts, she came to see me.”

“Mother always did like power,” Regina commented wryly.

“Yes, well, it was my turn to throw her out like yesterday’s garbage.” Zelena smiled gleefully, but it faded quickly. “I had always planned that when the time was right, you and I would meet, but in the days leading up to your wedding I found out the real reason mother had paid me a visit. It wasn’t to reunite us.” She exhaled a heavy breath. “Before she left my land, she cast a banishment spell so that I could never enter her world. The last thing Cora wanted before your marriage to the king was a scandal. Queen Regina and her illegitimate sister wasn't quite the legacy mother dreamed of.”

“I had no idea,” Regina breathed.

“I know,” Zelena said easily. “Like I said, I gave up on blaming you for my problems years before that.” She put her hand on Regina’s forearm. “I couldn’t have been prouder than when you banished her. I only wish that had broken her spell. Then perhaps I could have helped you later…when everything went bad.”

Regina pulled back, the feeling of someone touching her was more than she could handle in the moment. “You saw what happened to me?”

“Yes.” All levity had drained from the conversation and even the sunrise seemed to pale. “I didn’t watch every minute of every day,” Zelena admitted, “but I saw more than enough. I learned more magic in those first thirty years when that bastard had you under his control than I have the entire rest of my life. I was trying to find a way… _any_ way that I could try and help you.” She looked down at the ground. “I failed, obviously. But,” Zelena plastered on a smile, “I’m here now, and I can show you all the tricks of this world.”

There was still so much Regina needed to know and process, but at least they were now on a safer topic. The newly risen sun was starting to irritate her eyes. One thing about being held prisoner in a dungeon, it had been nice to go three whole days without a migraine. “You live here?”

“I’ve traveled here often enough,” she sniffed, looking around the sleepy little hamlet. “This is a nice little world to just get away from it all. As long as you have money here, you can do anything.”

“Money?”

“Gold, dear,” Zelena clarified.

Regina stiffened. “I don’t have any gold.”

“Oh sis, you’ve got better than gold.” Her eyes widened when she smiled. “You’ve got magic.”


	9. Chapter 9

** 20 Years Later - 1983 **

“Miss Regina! Miss Regina! Oh, shit! Come on, Miss Regina, you’ve got to wake up. You’ve just got to!”

She was being manhandled, hands alternating between patting her face and shaking her by the shoulders. It was truly disconcerting, and she held up a hand to stop the bombardment.

“Oh _shit_!”

The attack on her person stopped immediately and she heard the scramble of boots against her hard wood floor, no doubt leaving dark scuff marks as heavy breathing was punctuated by whispered curses mixed in with religious prayers.

Regina opened her eyes and found herself looking at the underside of her mahogany reading table. She was on the floor of her study, but she had no idea why. Her throat was dry, making her thirstier than she should be considering how recently she’d fed. She turned her head to the side and saw Javier’s wide blown dark eyes staring at her. His fear tempted her as he continued to call for his God’s deliverance while uttering curses she was quite sure they wouldn’t allow in any church.

“Javier,” she said as she sat up, immediately smoothing her hair down and repressing her baser needs. Her butler, or manservant as he called himself, appeared ready to pass out. “I’ve told you repeatedly to refrain from cursing in my presence.”

“Miss Regina…you weren’t…” he gestured wildly with his hands to her general location. “I came in…and you were…” he pointed again and gulped. “But you weren’t breathing!”

Hellfire. She gracefully regained her feet and took a deep, showy inhale for his benefit. She really didn’t want to have to train yet another butler. “Javier, I think you were just panicking. I’m fine.”

“Nooo,” he said, drawing out the word. “No, I wasn’t…well, I mean yes, I totally was, but I still…you weren’t breathing!” He insisted as he scrambled to his feet. “And you’re still wearing your clothes from yesterday! Miss Regina, you were unconscious!”

Unconscious was something Javier could process; she hoped it meant that he was giving up on the idea that she hadn’t been breathing. She hadn’t been breathing, of course. She never needed to, but she was usually able to maintain appearances. Then again, she’d never passed out before either. What the hell had that been about? 

She tried to remember what had happened. On a rare night at home, she’d been in her study reading, and she’d felt the strangest sense of nausea pass over her. The phone in the hallway had started ringing almost immediately and given that it was the middle of the night she’d gotten up to answer it. That’s when she'd felt it; a wave of magic more powerful than anything she’d ever experienced in the Enchanted Forest. Judging by her position under the table, it had clearly been enough power to render her unconscious for several hours.

“Miss Regina?” Javier said her name quietly almost reverently.

She sighed. “Yes, Javier?”

“Are you…feeling all right?” he asked. “Can I get you anything?”

Maybe she wouldn’t have to get a new butler, after all. She smiled gratefully at him. “I think we could both use a coffee. Make mine a little Irish.”

He nodded, still looking shaky, but coffee was something he could do. “Of course.”

She eyed him. “Feel free to make yours Irish as well.”

Finally, a relieved smile as he started towards the kitchen. Regina waited until he was out of sight before she pinched the bridge of her nose. The sun wasn’t even up yet and she could feel the beginnings of a migraine. What the hell had happened last night?

She tried reaching out with her magic to see if any familiar signatures were still lingering in the air, and found even more problems. There was a confused haze of dozens of magical energy signatures all fading the more she pressed for them. Then one signature burned bright green and Regina groaned.

“Javier,” she called, finding her heels from the night before and slipping them back on, “you better make that three coffees. We have incoming.”

The sound of a mug shattering against the floor of the kitchen told her he’d heard and understood her. His dark head poked out of the kitchen and his complexion looked only slightly better than it had. “Miss Zelena is coming here?”

The doorbell rang.

Javier straightened valiantly and took one unsteady step towards the door before Regina waved him off. “Just get the coffee ready.”

She took a second to check her appearance in the mirror in the foyer; she reflexively tugged her long sleeves down to cover the darkened bands of skin around her wrists. Her hair and clothes definitely looked like she had spent the night on the floor, if only it had been restful. The doorbell rang again followed by pounding. Regina rolled her eyes and slung open the door. To her amused relief, her sister looked as rumpled as she did.

“What the hell happened?” the red head asked loudly, pushing past Regina and into the foyer. She stopped when no one immediately offered to take her coat from her. “And why are you answering your own door? Don’t you have a manservant for that sort of thing?”

“Javier is in the kitchen fixing coffee for us. I felt that was a better use of his skills.” She closed the door and ignored Zelena’s attempts to hand off her coat. “And good morning to you, too, dear.”

“It’s barely morning,” Zelena snapped. “I should never be up this early, but since I took a nice unintended nap last night, I’m feeling oh so refreshed.” She finally took in her sister’s less than immaculate appearance. “Oh. Good. You felt it too, then. Javier,” she called, striding towards the study, “make those coffees to go. My sister and I have an unexpected road trip to take.”

“That isn’t necessary, Javier,” Regina corrected. “You can bring the drinks in here.”

“Regina!”

The brunette held up her hand. “I’m not jumping in my car and driving to Storybrooke without first having my coffee and then having a shower.” She was about to say more when Javier appeared with a tray of coffee. The fine china clattered a bit more than usual and she knew the man’s nerves were shot. “You can leave it, Javier. We’ll serve ourselves.” Regina ignored Zelena’s eye roll. “But please, go and pack a bag for me. A few days’ worth of casual clothes should be fine and then have the garage pull my car around.”

“Of course, Miss Regina.”

“And clear my schedule through next week.”

He inclined his head and backed his way out of the room.

“Poor man,” Zelena laughed, getting up to fix her coffee. “I wonder how he makes it through life at all being so timid.”

“Is it any wonder with you around?” Regina tipped a bit more of the whiskey into her coffee. “He was trained by Thomas, after all.”

“Oh,” Zelena frowned. “Thomas hated me.”

“He had good reason.”

Her sister looked downright proud of herself. “Yes, he did, didn’t he?” She affected an entire body shiver. “ _That_ was a fun night. It’s a shame you swore off hosting parties after that weekend.”

Ignoring the comment, Regina took her coffee and headed for the shower. The sun was coming up on a bright, clear sky day, some sort of magic event had been strong enough to take out both she and her sister, and now she had a six hour car ride to endure. She was tempted to chuck out her coffee and take the entire bottle of whiskey with her to the bath instead.


	10. Chapter 10

“I cannot believe you!” Zelena cried as soon as Regina’s window was completely up and they were pulling away from their fifth traffic stop in as many hours. “You’ve gotten out of four speeding tickets on this trip when you’ve been regularly pulling triple digits.”

“Five, dear,” Regina said feeling rather smug about it. “I’ve talked my way out of five traffic tickets.”

“Yes, but you didn’t even use magic on four of them. They just _let_ you go.” Zelena gestured wildly towards the open road. “And that last one was a woman!”

Regina smirked at her sister’s antics, knowing jealousy when she heard it. “What can I say? I’m an equal opportunity seductress.”

“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” Zelena snarked. “And here, I thought you were just eas-”

Regina slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a screeching, sliding halt on the asphalt. The seat belt tightened against her passenger’s chest and Zelena threw a hand out to the dashboard trying to brace herself.

“What the hell, Regina? It was only a joke…” Zelena had started off yelling but she trailed off when she saw her sister wasn’t even looking at her. Regina was staring out the windshield. “What are you looking–? Holy wizard! Is that…?”

“Storybrooke,” Regina finished for her. She undid her seat belt and stepped out of the car, not even caring that she had stopped in the middle of the road at the crest of a hill. She walked to the front of the car and looked out at the town that spread out before her.

Zelena joined her. “I know it’s been awhile since I’ve been out here, but I don’t recall the town ever being that big.”

“It wasn’t; I was out here last month.” She stared at the new tallest point of the town which seemed to be some sort of clock tower. “It looks like it tripled in size over night.”

“Over night?” Zelena repeated. “Well, I guess we know what all that magic was about then.” She curled her lip considering all the new problems this would bring. “Who portals over an entire town?”

“There’s only one person I can think of that would be powerful enough to do it,” Regina said darkly. “Rumplestiltskin.”

As they drove slowly down the new main street of town they both marveled at the storefronts. A diner, bakery, mechanic garage, florist, library, pawn shop, a bed and breakfast, and even a town hall populated a main street that had previously consisted of a few bait and tackle shops. Regina pulled her Mercedes 380SL smoothly into a parking spot near the town hall and watched in silence as several people walked past on the sidewalk.

“It’s not just the size of the town but the population as well,” Regina said having already seen more people out and about in the sleepy town then she usually did over the course of an entire trip. “And they seem to just be going about their lives like nothing is unusual.”

“This. Is. Bizarre,” Zelena commented. “And I lived in Oz!”

Regina stepped out of the car and stood near the front of it as Zelena joined her. A man walking a Dalmatian strode past them. “Good afternoon,” he greeted, “beautiful day, isn’t it?”

Neither woman responded to his cheerful greeting, whether it was from shock or because they were both used to living in New York City they couldn’t say. Regina gestured down the block towards the diner they had passed. “Let’s see what the locals eat around here.”

“Granny’s Diner?” Zelena sneered at the aged-looking sign. “How pedestrian.”

As they approached, Regina felt her first real sense of danger since she’d been hit with that nauseating wave of magic. She didn’t have a chance to say anything before her sister had pushed open the diner’s door, setting off an annoying bell to announce their arrival. Zelena blocked her view for a moment, but the sudden silence in the room suggested they had become the center of everyone’s attention. Someone gasped followed quickly by the sound of something breaking.

_“You!"_

The word was hissed and on instinct Regina turned to her right, holding up a hand, prepared to defend herself and Zelena. The instinct was accurate but unnecessary as a small brunette with a pale complexion waved a decorative stick in her direction. Nothing happened. The sisters smirked.

“I know you,” Regina said quietly, her voice dropping an octave lower than usual. “You’re the Blue Fairy.”

“A pixie?” Zelena snorted, rolling her eyes as three more women all of similar stature crowded behind the brunette. “No wonder her magic doesn’t work.”

“You have to be powerful to wield magic here, dear,” Regina said, flicking the wand out of the fairy’s hand with ease. She called a fireball to the palm of her hand. “Would you like a demonstration?”

“Regina?”

She knew that voice and harmlessly tossed the fireball at the pixie's feet before turning. A group of people were clustered towards the back of the diner as though they had just walked in from some back entrance. Regina felt her sister watching her closely as she moved closer to the newcomers. “Snow?”

“Is it really you?” Snow asked. Tears filled the younger brunette’s eyes as she closed the distance and grasped Regina’s forearms. “What are you doing here?”

Regina was unable to stop staring at her step-daughter; Snow appeared only a few years older than the last time Regina had seen her. “What am _I_ doing here? I’ve been here for twenty years.” She appreciated that Snow did not try and hug her, but she stepped back from the contact, dropping the younger woman’s hands. “How in the hell did all of you get here?”

“Oh? Is this her then?” Zelena asked from over Regina’s shoulder. “Am I finally getting to meet my charming niece?”

Snow blinked. “What?”

“I’m your auntie,” Zelena said with a half-curtsie. “So does this place actually serve food or is it all just an elaborate façade. I don’t really care either way, but I’d _kill_ for some coffee.” She winked at the pixies making it clear who would be her first choice to maim. “I have a feeling we’re going to be here for a while.”


	11. Chapter 11

Large plates of sizzling, greasy food were placed on the table in front of the odd gathering of people. Cheeseburgers, French fries, chicken sandwiches, bacon, and a few orders of assorted breakfasts were all dug into hardily by the members of Snow’s pack. Sitting to Regina’s right, Zelena poked at a rather limp looking chicken parmesan with her fork. “It’s certainly not gourmet dining at Granny’s, is it?”

Regina sniffed uncomfortably at the overwhelming scents and sipped her coffee. Snow noticed she hadn’t ordered any food. “Still on your special diet then?”

“It’s how I retain my youthful good looks,” the vampire replied. “Don’t worry, I fed before we came here.”

“Where is here, exactly?” asked the man sitting next to Snow.

He had blondish-brown hair, a strong jaw, and blue eyes; although Regina had only ever met him as a wolf, she recognized him as her step-daughter’s mate. She knew a few of the older wolves in Snow’s pack but not everyone seated at the table and around the diner. Granny Lucas had patted her on the back as she’d served the food to the table, and Red had given her a huge smile. She wasn’t sure what she had ever done to win the younger Lucas over so much, but the lack of hostility was pleasant.

“Regina, this is my husband,” Snow stumbled over the word slightly, “David Nolan.”

Regina raised an eyebrow. “Husband?”

“My mate,” Snow corrected, frowning. “It’s strange; we all seem to have two sets of memories in our heads. Ones from this world and ones from our world.”

David squeezed her hand in reassurance. “But not everyone remembers our world.”

“The humans don’t,” Red said, taking the open seat next to David. “Only those of us that are somewhat different seem to have retained both sets.”

“Different?” Zelena asked. She pointed at the pixies gathered together and staring at them from across the diner. “You mean, magical?”

“Not necessarily. The dwarves remember.” Snow gestured to a group of men sitting in the front corner of the diner. “Everyone in the pack remembers, but none of us are magical.”

“Are you still able to shift?” Regina asked.

Snow looked a little crestfallen. “Our younger members can’t.”

“Yeah, why is that?” a younger wolf asked from the end of the table.

“This place is known as the Land without Magic,” Regina explained. “Only powerful users can manipulate magic. I can only presume that older wolves have some similar trait. The wolf is in their blood; they’ve lived with it longer.”

“And the fairies?” a blonde fairy asked, bravely approaching the table despite Blue’s scowl.

“You rely on dust and wands, crutches for your magic,” Regina answered. “The power has to reside within you.”

Zelena bit off a piece of celery. “Simply put, your magic isn’t strong enough, dear.”

The blonde’s shoulders twitched upwards. “I don’t suppose you want to be the one to explain that to Blue.”

Most of the table looked over to the corner with the pixies then went back to eating. Snow shook her head. “Sorry, Tink, you’re on your own this time.”

 Tink nodded but didn’t seem to be in any hurry to rejoin her sisters. “So, _why_ are we here?”

“A good question,” Regina said, returning her attention to Snow. “What happened? How did you get here?”

“A curse?” Snow shrugged. “It was a normal night like any other until a cloud of dark red smoke rolled over the land.”

“It was like being sucked into a tornado and then spit out here,” Red added.

Regina glanced at her sister who shrugged. It hadn’t been her tornado; she’d been in New York.

“There have been rumors all over the forest of someone gathering dark magical items for the past couple of months,” David offered.

“And there’s always been rumors of a dark curse that would end all curses,” Ruby added.

Regina cleared her throat, “Yes, well that particular dark curse belonged to the beast that enslaved me for a hundred years.” Snow reached over and grasped Regina’s hand, offering comfort. It threw Regina off and she tried to remember what she’d been saying. “I’m the one that threatened to use the curse to end all curses, but that curse would’ve taken away your memories and frozen time. This only seems to have some aspects of the dark curse.”

“And there’s only person powerful enough to have cast it,” Zelena added.

“Rumplestiltskin,” Snow exhaled, understanding.

“Yes. Have you seen him since you arrived?”

The wolves all glanced at each other, and Tink just shrugged and shook her head.

“Well, if we want answers, we’re going to have find him. Until we do, I’d say you’re all stuck here.”

“And where is here?” Red asked.

“A little town called Storybrooke, Maine. You won’t find it on any map, but it’s special. The divide between this world and others is _thinner_ here,” Regina tried to explain. “This town is a place where people from other realms can cross. You’ll definitely have…visitors.”

“If other people can cross, then so can we,” Blue said, joining the conversation from across the room. “We _can_ go home.”

“Haven’t you been listening, moth?” Zelena snapped. “You were _cursed_ here. Until the curse is broken, none of you are going anywhere.”


	12. Chapter 12

** 3 years later **

Regina closed her front door and slumped back against it in sheer relief. She knew if she looked in the mirror right now, she’d see crimson eyes, mussed hair, and a wild look even she’d be wary of. The sun was just beginning to rise, and it had been one hell of a night. She kept one hand on the door for support as she leaned down and began unzipping her knee high boots. Every single person in the club must’ve been high as a kite if the tingle in her blood was any indication, but at least, she was sated.

Her night life was fairly active, but when Killian was in town, they always managed to reach new heights of debauchery. Killian Jones had been a vampire long before she’d met him during her Evil Queen days, and she enjoyed his company in short, brief bursts of time. Usually like last night. Then she’d go several years before seeing him again.

Two nights earlier, he’d arrived in Storybrooke for the first time in five years. As soon as he’d seen the changes to the sleepy fishing village, he’d called her. She’d laughed, told him not to linger or scare the locals. He’d driven straight to her penthouse and she’d explained everything.

Well, explained it the best she could at any rate. It had been a very strange few years. The curse that had deposited most of the residents of the Enchanted Forest into the little seaside town was still going strong. No one had seen or heard of any sign of Rumplestiltskin since they’d arrived, and Regina had spent more time in the little town in those first six months than she had in her previous twenty years combined.

While all the humans found the area to be quite normal and routine with their fake memories, the magical beings had taken the change a bit harder. Reconciling two very distinct lives understandably required some adjustment time, and Regina had basically become mayor in order to keep the town running smoothly.

Zelena had given up and left after the first week. Not her curse, not her responsibility had been her mantra. She’d taken some time to return to Oz and do some other traveling before returning months later, reminding Regina that she’d left behind a life in New York.

Regina had to admit, the walls had been closing in on her. It had been nice getting to know Snow as an adult, but the small town life was not for her. After a hundred years of wreaking mayhem and destruction, she required more than the cozy, quiet life Storybrooke offered. She’d left behind her days of killing and maiming when she’d escaped the Enchanted Forest, but the late night scene of Los Angeles or New York suited her brand of chaos better than small-town Maine.

After a few more months had passed, she’d successfully extricated herself from the town's day-to-day running. The majority of the wolf pack worked for the city police, the pixies had cloistered themselves away from everyone as some sort of religious group, and the dwarf named Doc had become mayor in her stead. Regina had returned to New York, returning to Storybrooke for holidays and long weekends or when she couldn’t think of anything better to do.

On one of those weekends, Snow had pulled her aside and given her news she’d never expected to hear. Regina was going to be a grandmother. Step-grandmother, but still. It had been unheard of for two wolves to manage pregnancy. No one knew why, but generally it was thought that the wolf gene in humans was so aggressive it didn’t allow for procreation. When new wolves were conceived, it was always when only one parent had been full-wolf. Snow believed that it was possible because she and David had true love.

Zelena had cracked up laughing when Regina had told her the news and Snow’s belief. “It’s more like they’re in the Land without Magic and no longer have natural wolf birth control.” Regina had made a mental note to be sure that Red knew about the change. “So, _Grandma_ ,” Zelena had teased, “will the new addition to the family be born with fur and fangs?”

Regina had thrown a fireball at her sister’s favorite loveseat for the ‘grandma’ taunt, and as it turned out the new pup had been born a beautiful baby girl with the lightest blonde hair and eyes that had eventually settled into the same green as her mother’s. Baby Emma had been absolutely adored by everyone, but even from the start, it seemed like she had set her sights on the one person that seemed the least impressed by her.

It wasn’t that Regina hadn’t cared for the child that had been thrust into her arms; at the first sight of the baby, she had felt an overwhelming rush of protectiveness, but she was also acutely aware of her own past. One act of mortal bravery notwithstanding, she was _not_ mother material. Baby Emma disagreed. It quickly became obvious that if Regina was present, she would be the one holding Emma. The unending screaming, crying baby tantrums that were quieted only once Regina held the child saw to that.

And then one night during the Christmas holidays, baby Emma had sealed the deal for eternity with her grandmother. The most serious adult in the house, the one that had been carrying her practically nonstop since she’d arrived a day earlier, received Emma’s first real smile. Regina had been stunned and apparently her reaction had been exactly what Emma wanted since she’d gone right ahead and smiled again.

Regina had quickly looked around to see if anyone had noticed, and luckily Granny had been the only other person in the room. She’d carried on with her knitting, barely looking up when she said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you smile like that, child.”

Regina still had no desire to live out her days in Storybrooke, but since Emma had been born her trips to Maine had become much more frequent. For more reasons than she liked to think about.

“Miss Regina? Is that you?” Javier’s dark head of hair poked out from the kitchen and caught a glimpse of her still leaning against the front door. He gave a low whistle at her appearance. “I’ll make the coffee extra strong this morning, yeah?”

She knew he couldn’t see her eyes from that far away, but she kept them cast downwards just in case. “Yes, thank you.”

“Good night out with Mister Jones?” he asked, trying to sound innocent when they both knew he was anything but.

Regina smirked, shaking off the side effects from her buffet-party feeding. “That’s none of your business.” She checked her appearance in the mirror and was glad to see her eyes were brown again, bloodshot but normal enough. Her hair and makeup on the other hand left a lot to be desired. “What’s my schedule like for the next couple of days?”

Javier laughed and brought her a hot, steaming mug. “Nothing that can’t be cancelled. Two meetings this afternoon with your club managers and an appointment with your lawyer tomorrow.”

She frowned. “My lawyer?”

“You wanted to go over the papers that Mrs. Nolan sent you regarding emergency care of Baby Emma,” he reminded her. Snow had decided that if anything were to ever happen to them, Regina should get custody of Emma.

“Oh, right.” She’d forgotten all about those. Killian’s unexpected arrivals often had the tendency to make her forget things.

The shrill sound of the phone ringing made Javier jump. Regina grimaced and braced herself. “Speak of the devil.”

It was early, way too early for the phone to be ringing which meant it could only be one person calling her. Maybe two. She considered telling Javier to let it go through to the machine, but that might lead to worry and panic which would then lead to unexpected visitors. Dealing with them over the phone would be easier and she nodded for him to answer.

“It could be Miss Zelena,” Javier suggested before he picked it up.

“It could be, but it’s not.” Regina sipped the coffee. It was an excellent dark roast that scalded her mouth and warmed her all the way down to her gut. The caffeine would be a much cleaner hit to her system than anyone she had drank last night.

“Miss Regina.” He held the phone out to her and needlessly mouthed who was on the other end of the line.

“Snow, it isn’t even six am,” she growled into the receiver. “This better be good.”

“Regina?”

The vampire leaned her forehead against the wall. “Yes, Snow. It’s me. The person whose house you called.”

“We need to talk.”

Regina resisted the urge to bang her head against the wall. “Hence why we are both holding phones.”

“No, I mean…” the younger woman hesitated. “Can you come to Storybrooke?”

Regina blamed her tired, over-stimulated brain for not recognizing the concern in Snow’s voice immediately. She straightened. “What’s wrong?”

Snow hesitated again, then said, “It happened again.”

“I’ll be there in six hours.”


	13. Chapter 13

Snow watched as Regina paced the floor of the loft with Emma seated comfortably on her hip. The older woman still hadn’t taken off her sunglasses, and Snow had winced when she’d seen how sunny it was outside. The trip couldn’t have been comfortable for her step-mother, but over the counter pain relievers didn’t really do anything for vampiric migraines.

“Idiot,” Regina growled affectionately as she allowed Emma to pull the dark sunglasses from her face with her grabby hands. Less affectionately, she scowled at Snow, “Tell me what happened.”

The younger brunette grimaced when Emma began gnawing on the designer shades that probably cost more than their rent. She glanced at David, who stepped forward. “Maybe I should put Emma down for her nap.”

“No,” Regina growled low in her throat, making the baby giggle. “When it’s her nap time, I’ll put her down. Until then, she is keeping me calm. Now tell me what happened.”

“Last night, we were at Granny’s eating dinner,” Snow started. “A man that I’ve never seen before walked in and just stared around at everyone like he was in shock.”

“Or looking for someone,” David added.

“Granny asked if she could help him, and he immediately seemed to realize he was staring. He walked over to the counter and began talking to her. Everyone went back to their own conversations and dinners, but then he started raising his voice.”

“He yelled at Granny?” Regina asked in disbelief. No one with any sense raised their voice to the old wolf.

“It was more like he was just speaking loudly in general. Demanding to know what had happened to the town, why it had changed, and generally making a spectacle of himself,” David said. “Since there were a fair number of civilians present, I walked over to try and calm him down and explain the situation quietly. That’s when I realized his left hand was a prosthetic.”

“Wait.” Regina stopped him. “Describe this man.”

“Tall, dark, handsome,” Snow said and shrugged when David shot her an exasperated look. “What? He was.”

“Black hair, blue eyes, facial hair, about 5’11”,” David added, shaking his head. “He spoke with an accent.”

“And he had a fake hand.” Regina waved off further description. “That’s Killian Jones or you may know him by his other name – Hook.”

“You _know_ him?”

“Yes,” she said, shifting Emma as the baby leaned against her. “Killian is…like me.”

“Oh.” David’s eyebrows raced up his forehead. He glanced at Snow. “Should we be worried?”

“Yes, but not for the reason you’re thinking. You say Killian was in the diner with you yesterday evening?”

Snow nodded.

“That’s not possible. He arrived at my place two days ago, and I was with him all last night.”

Despite the situation, Snow couldn’t help but smirk. “Oh, really?”

“Not like that,” Regina snapped. Snow continued to smirk; it was a rare day when she managed to get a rise out of her step-mother.

“And you’re sure the Killian you were with was the actual Killian?” David asked.

“We were out all night…feeding, if you must know.” She cleared her throat. “It would be rather difficult for someone else to have impersonated that.”

David grimaced; there were some details he never needed to know. He pushed past it. “So, we were dealing with an imposter.”

“Yes, but why?” Regina asked. “What happened next?”

“Well, that’s when someone tried to kill Emma.” Snow gestured to the broken and slightly melted baby stroller. “While everyone was watching Hook, or imposter Hook, someone else came in from the back door, and threw…a spell.”

“Magical hand grenade,” David said at the same time.

“There was an explosion of magic,” Snow clarified. “It originated near Emma and blasted her stroller across the room.”

“It knocked Snow unconscious for a few minutes, Tink got a cut on her arm, and a few dwarves were roughed up but no one else was hurt,” David added. “By the time we were all back on our feet, Hook was gone and no one could pinpoint anyone else they had seen.”

Regina was examining as much of Emma as she could without pulling the sleeping baby away from her shoulder. “And she wasn’t hurt?”

“No,” Snow breathed. “A few red marks on her arm and that’s all.”

Regina carefully lifted the small, pudgy arm and saw the three red scratches marring the skin. She frowned and turned abruptly for the stairs. “I’m going to put her down and then we’ll talk.”

Snow watched her go and leaned into David’s side. “We can’t keep going like this, David. _I_ can’t keep going like this. Three attempts on Emma’s life and she’s only a year old.”

David wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of his wife’s head. “We’ll figure this out. I promise.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“All right, little pup,” Regina said, lying Emma gently down in her crib, “let’s get a closer look at you.”

She gave Emma a much more thorough exam but as Snow had said, the only injury she could find were the three scratches. Scratches that did not appear like anything one would receive as a magical injury. She pictured the ruined stroller downstairs; Emma could have easily scratched her arm on it after the attack. Regina hesitated a minute more before she briskly rubbed her hands together in an attempt to warm them before placing one on Emma’s chest.

Sleepy green eyes opened at the contact and watched her. Regina smiled down about to offer words of comfort when she felt the tiniest lick of white energy warm her palm. Emma giggled and kicked her feet as Regina sucked in a breath. She had always reasoned that a baby born into a land without magic would not have magic, despite her parentage. But it was there, eagerly reaching out for her as soon as she looked. “I guess I owe your mother an apology, after all, pup.”

By the time Regina walked back downstairs, she was relieved to see that Snow no longer appeared to be on the verge of tears. She was even more relieved to see that David had coffee brewing for her as he and Snow stirred steaming mugs of tea. Since she still had a minute or two before she could indulge her caffeine habit, she examined the broken stroller. She ran her hand along the inside of the carrier and found a jagged piece of metal sticking up through the material. It was just sharp enough to scratch against. She shook her head at the implications.

“Regina, what is it?” Snow asked unable to keep quiet any longer.

Regina was impressed the younger brunette had lasted as long as she had. “The magic used in the attack didn’t hurt Emma. Not even a little bit.”

“But the scratches on her arm…”

“Are from the stroller,” Regina said, sinking heavily onto one of the dining chairs. “ _After_ the attack.”

David set a mug of coffee down on the table in front of her. “I don’t understand. How is that possible?”

“Emma is the product of true love,” she admitted glancing briefly at Snow in acknowledgement. “That makes her more special that we could have ever imagined. Her magic protected her from harm.”

Snow dropped onto the seat opposite her. “She has magic,” she clarified. “In a land without magic, our infant daughter has magic?”

"It would seem so," Regina nodded. “And someone else has already figured that out and for some reason wants to kill her.”

“ _Why_?” Snow couldn’t help the plaintive tone in her voice. “Why would someone want my baby dead?”

“You’d be surprised at the amount of dark spells that include babies in them,” Regina said darkly, missing the horrified looks of the two wolves. She frowned as another thought occurred to her. “I need to go to my vault.”

“Your vault?”

“You have a vault?”

Regina paused halfway to the door, debating how much to tell them. Yes, she had a vault. She had established it shortly after arriving in this world. It was where she kept a great many magical items she’d come across over the years. She’d set it up in Storybrooke as her sanctuary away from New York, and it had served her well. Zelena knew about it, but Regina wasn’t quite sure she was ready to share it with everyone. “I need to do some research,” she said which didn’t really explain anything. “I’ll be back.”

Only once she was alone in her car did Regina allow her inner beast out. Her fangs elongated and saliva pooled in her mouth. Fury raged through her blood as she drove out of town, trying desperately to get herself somewhere far enough away that she could release some of the energy that was spiking beneath her skin. A quick glance in the rear-view mirror showed her eyes as black as night and swirling with magic.

She wanted to go to her vault; she needed to check on the curse. Sitting at the table with Snow, she’d remembered the deal her step-daughter made with Rumplestiltskin. Snow and David had each given the Dark One a single hair in exchange for Regina’s freedom from their realm. Snow and David, a pair of people that obviously shared the bond of true love; the one thing that was more powerful than any curse. And Rumplestiltskin had wanted to cast a curse; a curse that couldn’t be broken by Snow and David’s true love.

He had their essence; he’d been able to prepare a defense against them. He’d likely worked their signatures into the very fabric of the curse itself. But he hadn’t planned on a baby. He hadn’t foreseen the arrival of Emma. If he wanted to protect his curse, Emma needed to die.

The windows on Regina’s car shattered when she screamed.


	14. Chapter 14

Regina spent the better part of three days in her vault, researching the dark curse and any other curse that could’ve been tied into it. She was no closer to finding Rumplestiltskin or discovering why he had cast the curse. There was nothing left in Storybrooke that could help her, and she decided she would have to try Zelena’s vault.

Unlike her, Zelena felt no magical ties to the fishing village before or after the denizens of the Enchanted Forest had arrived. She kept her vault beneath her mansion in upstate New York and graciously offered Regina the use of it so long as she didn’t have to actually help in the research portion. Regina thanked her and promised to arrive sometime late that night. She’d spend the rest of the afternoon with Emma and then head out once night had fallen.

The one upside to the whole ordeal was that Regina actually felt better about leaving Emma now that she knew the child had magic. She’d protected herself once possibly three times already; it bode well that she would be able to do so again. Still, Regina wasn’t overly surprised to arrive at the loft and find two wolves lounging near the front steps. If she reached out, she’d probably find the rest of the pack in a defensive perimeter all around the building.

The wolf nearest the door, Thomas if she remembered correctly, waited for her to get close before he took a deep sniff of the air. His wolf showed briefly in his eyes before he nodded, recognizing her as her, and opened the door for her. She approved of the extra precaution and inclined her head as she passed.

When she arrived inside the loft, she found Ruby sprawled out half-asleep on the couch, David preparing dinner, and Snow pacing upstairs with a fussy Emma.

Catching a new scent in the house, Ruby’s head snapped in her direction. “Oh hey, Regina.” She stretched and yawned. “I wondered if I’d get to see you at all this trip.”

“How are you supposed to protect anything if you’re asleep on the couch, wolf?” A smirk accompanied the question, cutting its bite.

Ruby pushed off the couch, her hands stretching up towards the ceiling. “I could’ve had you on the ground in two seconds, vamp.”

“I’d like to see you try.”

“Would you?” Ruby teased.

David cleared his throat, interrupting them, and both brunettes grinned at his discomfort. “Did you find out anything about the curse?”

“No,” Regina said, leaning her elbows on the bar. “I’m going to leave tonight and see if I can find anything of use in Zelena’s library.”

Emma began crying again and they could hear Snow’s hushed tones comforting her. Regina raised an eyebrow in question and David shrugged. “She doesn’t want to eat, but if she doesn’t eat now, she’ll be an absolute beast in two hours.”

Snow had never once voiced a comment about how Emma seemed to prefer Regina, but the older woman was always wary of overstepping her bounds in regards to the child. Given her new knowledge of the baby’s magic though, Regina tried reaching out with her magic to soothe the little pup. As soon as she touched Emma, her knees buckled, and Ruby’s quick reflexes were the only thing that kept her from hitting the floor.

“SNOW!!” She flung out a hand to the balcony of the loft and threw all her energy at the bottle held in Snow’s hand.

“Regina!” David cried out as she pushed herself out of Ruby’s arms and with inhuman speed joined Snow upstairs.

“It’s poison,” Regina said immediately, moving her hands over Emma’s suddenly still body, feeding magic into her. “It was in the bottle.”

“She only had a few mouthfuls.” Snow’s eyes widened. “Oh God, Regina, hurry. She’s turning pale.”

Regina realized she’d been concentrating solely on catching the poison and she hadn’t looked at Emma’s face, but Snow was right. The rosy colored cheeks had already become a shadowy pale version of themselves. She redoubled her efforts, pouring more of her magic into the tiny body of her granddaughter. “There.” She grimaced. “I can feel it.”

She twisted her open palm slightly to the right, trying to push the poison away from Emma’s heart. “It’s powerful.” Her left hand moved in counter-clockwise circles. “Fast acting.”

“Tell me what to do; what can I do?” Snow sobbed, her arms trembling as she held Emma out for her step-mother to work. “Please, Regina, can you save her?”

Regina tightened her hold on the blackness that was trying to seep past the walls she was erecting. “I have it contained…for now.” She felt a poisonous tendril try to slip around and with a flick of her wrist she pushed it back. “Snow, you and I are going to walk together towards Emma’s crib, and you are going to lay her down.” Snow shook her head but moved with Regina as soon as she took a step. “David?”

“Yeah?” he and Ruby had been two steps behind her and were still standing motionless on the landing.

“Call my sister,” Regina instructed, her voice calm as her eyes never wavered from Emma’s still form. “Tell her to get here as quickly and discretely as possible. Page her if you have to but don’t stop until you reach her.” She continued drawing circles with her left hand. “Ruby, I need you to get that bottle out of here. No! Don’t touch it!” She growled as Ruby immediately moved to do as she was told. “Don’t touch it with your bare hand and don’t destroy it; we may need it later, but get it out of here.”

She didn’t turn and watch, but it sounded like the wolf picked up the room’s small garbage can and scooped the poisonous bottle into it with a shoe. As she started to descend the stairs, Regina snapped out another command, “Don’t tell anyone what’s happening up here. Not even the rest of the pack.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Regina saw Snow nod. Red must’ve looked to her alpha for confirmation. The other wolves probably already knew something was going on. They’d be able to feel Snow’s strong emotions pulling on their own.

“Regina?”

Snow’s voice was both hopeful and scared. Regina heard a million questions being asked in the three syllables of her name. She only had answers to some of them. She tried a different twist, her right hand moved under her left as they both pushed forward. Her magic pushed the poison back, but it was like trying to catch smoke. Everywhere her magic went, the smoke crept around it.

“As long as I can keep the poison from reaching her heart, we have a chance to remove it,” Regina answered finally, “but it’s taking all of my magic simply to contain it, to hold it back.”

“And if you can’t hold it back?” Snow brushed her hand over the soft, golden locks of hair.

Regina didn’t answer. The answer was obvious given Emma’s particular shade of grey and the breath of life that was barely there.

“How long can you last using your magic like this?” Snow asked.

Another great question that Regina didn’t want to answer. Even in battle, there had been pauses between her magic, moments of rest. The longest she’d ever sustained her magic in a constant state of use was three hours. It would take Zelena, at least, six hours to arrive assuming David reached her immediately. She caught another tendril trying to sneak past her guard and snapped it back.

“Regina, how long?”

“As long as it takes.”


	15. Chapter 15

It had taken David two hours before he’d gotten in contact with Zelena, but it only took her four hours to reach Storybrooke. If she managed to get her sister out of this situation intact, she would definitely be gloating about setting a new speed record for the trip. There might be a few highway patrol officers that were dazed and confused about how their vehicles had ended up in fields, but that wasn’t a detail her sister needed to know.

Regina had asked for help.

That simple fact scared Zelena; not that she would ever admit it to anyone but it frightened her down to her very core. The baby was in jeopardy, yes, but she also knew it meant that Regina would stop at nothing to save the child. And Regina’s potential for extreme behavior was not necessarily something this world could handle.

Heeding Regina’s warning to be discrete in her arrival, Zelena parked in the alley behind the loft. As soon as she stepped out of the car she could feel the magic in the air. She knew her sister’s magic and despite twenty-three years of decent behavior and mostly good intentions, Regina’s magic did not originate from the light. There was an acidic taste in the air; it was prickly and moved across the skin like static electricity. Zelena worried her sister was drawing on reserves from a very dark source.

She could also sense several wolves surrounding the loft. She didn’t have time to deal with them and simply poofed herself to the loft’s landing. The door opened as soon as she knocked and David ushered her inside. “They’re upstairs.”

She took a moment to adjust to the even thicker ambient magic inside the loft. “What’s their condition?”

“Emma’s hasn’t changed,” Ruby offered when David hesitated. “Regina is…deteriorating.”

Zelena knew it was as bad as she’d feared, worse possibly if the baby hadn’t shown any signs of improvement. She ascended the steps and saw Snow immediately, sitting on the bed, her arm draped over the side of the crib. Regina stood with her back to the landing, both of her hands held over the crib, magic pouring from her palms.

Zelena motioned for Snow to stay where she was as she approached the crib. She risked a quick glance at the child; the infant was pale and still, but alive. Zelena’s breath caught in her throat at her sister’s appearance. Regina was trembling with her effort and inky black veins shown on the back of her hands, streaking up her forearms. Her skin had a distinctly grey pallor that made the scars encircling her wrists stand out more than usual. There were swathes of dark under her closed eyes, and Zelena worried what she’d see when those eyes opened.

“I’m here, little sis,” she said softly.

Any other time, Regina would have sensed her presence long before she ever made it in the house, but this time it seemed to take her by surprise. Her eyes fluttered open slowly and she frowned in the general direction of Zelena. “You made it.”

Solid black orbs stared at her, and Zelena repressed a shiver. “Did you doubt me?”

Regina’s right hand jerked suddenly and she pushed forwards with her left. “I don’t know…how much longer…I can hold it.”

“I’m here now; we’ll take care of it.” Zelena shook out her hands and extended them over Emma. “Let me get a sense of what you’re…ah, there it is.” She flinched as her magic touched the poison. “Nasty little devil, isn’t it?” Her hand mirrored Regina’s and twisted counter-clockwise. “What do you want me to do?”

“We need to pull it out of her, but it’s too strong to just…dissipate.” Her voice sounded like she was short of breath. “It needs a receptacle.”

“There’s plenty of wolves hanging around nearby. I’m joking,” Zelena said at the expected gasp from Snow.

“If we knew for sure it was a blood borne poison…I could take it in,” Regina suggested. “It wouldn’t affect me.”

Zelena rolled her eyes; her sister had been spending way too much time amongst the hero types. “What about the bottle it was in? That obviously has some sort of enchantment to contain it.”

“You’re right…I hadn’t thought…” Fatigue was pulling at Regina from all angles. “Yes, the bottle should work.”

Supernatural wolf hearing had Ruby producing the bottle for their use before they’d barely finished discussing it. The baby bottle sat innocuously at the bottom of the waste basket. Zelena nodded for Ruby to set the entire basket down near her feet. “Snow, move back.” She glanced once more at her sister. “This could get rough but do not approach. Understand.”

Snow reluctantly nodded and joined David and Ruby on the landing. David put his arms around Snow’s middle, and Ruby gripped his shoulder.

“I’ll protect Emma; you pull the poison out,” Regina said.

Zelena’s magic began to push past Regina’s and go on the offensive. A swirl of green smoke rose in the air above the crib and the smell of ozone filled the apartment. Zelena could see a healthy, reddish tint returning to Emma’s skin as she pulled the poison out.

“It’s working,” she said and directed the cloud down towards the bottle at her feet. She used her left hand to create a sealing spell over the bottle, trapping the magic inside it while her right hand continued to draw more poison out. She glanced at her sister and could see how badly the brunette was trembling. “Hold on, Reg.”

They worked like that for another fifteen minutes. Regina held defensively against the poison while Zelena sought it out and removed it from the small body where it had coiled itself. Emma began to cry after ten minutes, but Zelena held Snow off from approaching. She almost had the last little bit, searching the baby girl’s fingers and toes for any lingering trace. It had been easier before Emma had started wriggling so much. “Almost there, a minute longer, Regina.”

Her sister nodded tightly, her face a mask of concentration. Zelena looked over at the wolves. “Ruby.” She motioned the younger wolf over with her eyes and had her stand behind Regina. “Get ready.”

“For what?”

“’Lena?” Regina’s voice was shaking.

Zelena released her magic from Emma. “It’s done.”

David and Snow rushed forward to their daughter. Ruby looked confused about what she was supposed to be doing, but understood a second later when Regina collapsed, falling bonelessly against her.

“Put her on the bed,” Zelena said, picking up the wastebasket with the poisonous bottle. “I’ll be right back.”

She poofed to Regina’s vault and sealed the nasty little bottle away until she had time to properly deal with it. Arriving back at the loft, she hurried to her sister’s side. Regina looked like road kill and Zelena could only think of one way to help her. “She needs to feed.”

David nodded immediately, kissing Snow on the head as he prepared to leave. “I can get her a deer.”

“No.” Zelena shook her head. “She’s completely drained, past the point that a deer will suffice.” The red-head held the wolves under a fiercely protective gaze. “She needs the restorative properties from a wolf’s blood. She needs to drink from you.”


	16. Chapter 16

“Oh _relax_ ,” Zelena said, exasperated. “I won’t let her kill any of you.”

“That’s comforting,” David muttered.

“She just saved your daughter’s life, wolf!”

“I’ll do it,” Snow said, stepping forward.

“Snow!”

“No, Zelena’s right. We owe Regina everything.” She handed Emma over to David and rolled up her sleeve. “Tell me what I need to do.”

“Brace yourself.” The witch cut a one inch mark on Snow’s wrist and guided it over Regina’s mouth. “She’s pretty out of it so it may take her a minute to smell-” Snow gasped in surprise as the vampire latched onto her wrist. Zelena smirked, “Or not. Tell me when you start to feel faint and I’ll stop her.”

“This won’t make us become like her, right?” Ruby asked tentatively.

“No, dear, you’d have to drink from her for that to happen,” Zelena said, keeping a close eye on both Snow and her sister. “Don’t go far. I’m afraid Snow’s blood alone won’t be enough.”

“What about you?” David asked.

The question would’ve angered her if she hadn’t noticed the wolf was already rolling up his sleeve, ready to offer himself. “I’m a blood relative; it would be…weird.”

“Zelena,” Snow breathed.

The witch placed her hand on Regina’s forehead and used magic to separate the two brunettes. Snow gasped and blinked rapidly, giving her head a hard shake. Regina whimpered and shifted restlessly against the sheets. “Hold on,” Zelena said. “David.”

He moved forward grimly, his wrist already cut as he knelt beside the bed; the older brunette latched on with ferocity. Snow sat on the other side of the bed with Emma, blood staining the cuff of her shirt; Zelena flicked a healing spell at the woman. Everyone sat in an awkward silence that was punctuated by the occasional slurping sound. After several minutes, David grunted and Zelena helped extricate him from Regina. She considered it a good sign that she had to use a bit more magic to hold her sister off.

“Easy, dear,” she scolded when Regina bared her fangs in her direction. The crimson eyes that glared back at her were a relief. “Feeling better?” A languid nod answered her as Regina stopped fighting her and slowly dropped her head back to the pillow. Zelena brushed dark hair away from her sister's face. “Ruby, I think we can hold off for now, but if you’re willing she may need more in a few hours.”

Ruby nodded. “I want to help.”

“Good. Now that you’re all sufficiently dazed, I think I’ll go downstairs and make some coffee,” Zelena said, getting to her feet. “I know I could use the caffeine.”

“I’ll go let the pack know everything is all right,” Ruby said.

“No.”

David looked up from his seat on the floor next to the bed. “Snow?”

She was cradling Emma in her arms. “We don’t tell anyone about tonight. Not yet.”

Ruby and David both looked confused, but Zelena’s estimation of Snow went up a notch. “The fewer people that know Emma is alive the better.”

Snow looked up and held her gaze. “Exactly.”

“I don’t understand,” David admitted.

“Someone is trying to kill our baby,” Snow said pointedly. “We need to let them think they succeeded.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“This is insane,” Regina said, shifting against the pillows stacked behind her back. “I was out of commission for one day and _this_ is the plan you come up with?”

Snow, David, Ruby, and Zelena were all crowded back around the bed in the upstairs of the loft. Regina’s more natural color had returned, but she was still weak and under the careful observation of her sister who refused to let her out of bed.

Snow had Emma cradled against her shoulder. “I’m not happy about it either, but we can’t keep going the way we have been. Emma may not survive another attack.”

“Regina may not survive another attack,” Zelena muttered.

“I’m fine,” Regina growled giving her sister a half-hearted glare.

“Maybe so, but what if we can’t reach you next time?” Snow pointed out. “You can’t stay here and protect Emma every hour of every day. The only reason you were able to save her this time is because you just happened to be in the apartment.”

“And your grand plan is to send her away?”

“Sending her away from Storybrooke is her best chance.”

“For how long?” Ruby asked.

“Until we find Rumplestiltskin,” David said, clearly unhappy with the plan as well.

“But people are going to notice you suddenly don’t have a baby anymore,” Ruby pointed out. “He’ll know you sent her away.”

“Not if we tell everyone she died.”

The announcement quieted the room. David bowed his head as everyone else stared at Snow. Ruby's jaw dropped. “What?”

“It’s the only way she’ll truly be safe.”

David added, “If he thinks she’s dead, he’ll stop looking for her.”

Regina looked curiously between the two of them. “You’re not just talking about sending her away. You’re suggesting someone else raise her.”

Snow nodded. “Yes.”

“Who?”

Snow took a breath. “Her rich aunt that lives in New York.”

There were very few things left in the world that could surprise Regina, but she was positively stunned. “Me?”

“No.” Snow said, shaking her head. She leveled her eyes at the red-headed witch. “Zelena.”

“What!” Zelena jumped to her feet, backing away as if Snow was brandishing a weapon at her. “Why me?”

“Because Regina is too well known in Storybrooke. Everyone knows she doesn’t have a child, and,” she paused and looked apologetically at her step-mother, “all the magical creatures know that a vampire _can’t_ have a child.”

Regina had to admit it made sense. “And as far as we know, Rumplestiltskin is unaware of Zelena’s connection to Emma.”

“Plus, you’re powerful enough to protect her.” David appeared pained to admit it.

“But what do I know about raising a child?” Zelena had turned paler than Regina.

“What about the pack?” Ruby asked from where she sat at the foot of the bed. “We won’t be able to keep a deception of this magnitude from them.”

“It will work if we believe it, too.”

Regina closed her eyes against the pain in Snow’s voice. It was the first time during the entire discussion that Snow had allowed her feelings to show while voicing her plan. Her step-daughter had matured into a decisive and strong leader like the queen she always should have been.

Ruby’s eyes were wide as saucers. “Snow, what are you saying?”

Snow’s voice was watery when she answered, “They,” she nodded at Regina and Zelena, “can make us forget this entire conversation. They can change it so that all we remember is that Emma was poisoned, and we weren’t able to save her.” She swallowed thickly. “It would probably be best if we didn’t even remember Zelena being here.”

Zelena sank into the chair she had vacated and grabbed hold of Regina’s offered hand.

“When?” Ruby whispered. Snow looked to Zelena for the answer.

“It will take me a few hours to brew memory potions,” Zelena said, clearing her throat, “but I believe Regina has everything I need in her vault.”

Regina nodded. “She should leave with Emma tonight. The longer we draw this out the more difficult it will be.”

“Tonight then.” David helped Snow to her feet as they went downstairs to spend their last few hours with their child.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“How do you really feel about all this?” Regina asked, checking her reflection in the mirror and brushing some dirt off her shoulder.

She’d finally been allowed out of bed after she’d reluctantly agreed to hunt and feed in the woods before joining Zelena at her vault. Ruby had offered her blood, but it had been humiliating enough to learn that in her profound thirst after saving Emma she had fed from Snow and David.

“It’s a brilliant plan, actually,” Zelena admitted. “I’ve never given Snow enough credit if she’s willing to be this ruthless.”

“She’s doing everything she can to protect her child,” Regina said.

“Yes, I know.” Zelena added a dragon scale to the mixture of frothing liquid. “And she’s made me a glorified babysitter for the next seventeen years.”

“I’ll be there to help you.”

“You’d better be.” She stirred the ingredients absently. “I have a feeling this child will be quite the handful, and you will be partially to blame.”

“Me? Why?”

“You protected her with dark magic for six hours,” Zelena pointed out. “If that doesn’t give her an inclination towards trouble or at the very least a mischievous instinct, I don’t know what would.” She pinched a bit of salt into the mix for taste. “Who knows what other side effects will manifest from your intervention; I just hope she doesn’t get your mood swings. I don’t need two such serious people in my life.”

Regina looked down and studied her hands; Zelena had mentioned she’d blackened her veins with magic, but she was relieved that they too had returned to normal.

“Regina, what is it?”

“I’ve already noticed one side effect.” She looked up and admitted, “I can feel Emma's moods.”

“You’re bonded with her?”

Regina nodded. “I think so.”

Zelena considered it for a minute, then shrugged. “Well, won’t that be fun for you when she becomes a hormonal teenager.” She finished up the potion and began ladeling it into a thermos. “I’ve added a drop of sleeping potion to this. As soon as they drink it, they’ll pass out, and I’ll be able to make my escape. Have you decided how you’re going to handle the reveal?”

“Magical feedback, I think.” She held up a small bottled potion of her own. “I’ll knock myself out and make it appear that we’ve all been hit by the spell reacting back at us. The last thing any of them should remember is me attempting to save Emma.” She gestured towards the door of the vault. “I’ve already glamoured a doll to appear as the child. The amount of magic on it should mask any lack of scent to the wolves. One of them will wake first, or another member of the pack will find us all unconscious and the child dead.”

“It’s going to be horrible, you know,” Zelena said, leaning against the shelf. “They’ll be grieving and you won’t be able to comfort them.”

“I know.”

“You’ll have to stay and attend the funeral-”

“Zelena, I _know_!”

The redhead was only quiet for a moment. “Some of the pack may blame you.”

“I’ve thought of that.” She frowned. “I may never be welcome at Granny’s again.”

Zelena shrugged a shoulder. “Well, there's a silver lining if I ever heard one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I had to choose a few chapters as favorites these might be it, the previous chapter, this one, and the next - if I had to choose.  
> Thank you to everyone who is reading. I hope you are enjoying!


	17. Chapter 17

** 4 years later **

Regina arrived at the mansion an hour after her sister called. Claude met her at the front door with a look of relief on his face as he took her coat and gloves. “She’s in the library, ma’am.”

“And Emma?”

He looked up the stairs towards the living area. “I believe the words were ‘I never want to see anyone ever again as long as I live’.”

She gave him an amused look, well aware of the child’s dramatic ways. “That’s unfortunate.”

“Indeed, ma’am.”

Regina walked towards the library and pushed in not waiting for an invitation. Zelena sat in one of the high backed chairs with an empty drink glass in one hand and a glare fixed on the doorway. “It’s about time you got here.”

“I live an hour away, dear.” She noticed the ace bandage wrapped around her sister’s wrist as she fixed herself a drink and then carried the decanter over to refill Zelena’s glass. “What are you wearing?”

The witch gestured for her to top off the glass a little more. “We have multiple problems.”

Regina took the seat across from her. “Did you sprain your wrist?”

“No. Emma did.”

“Emma sprained your wrist?”

“Emma sprained _her_ wrist.”

Regina took a sip of her drink to give herself a moment to try and understand but she ended up shaking her head. “I’m not following.”

“The pup took a stumble today while playing and sprained her wrist,” Zelena explained slowly. “When I tried to heal her injury, I took it on myself.”

“And you can’t heal an injury you took on with magic.” Regina frowned as she worked through the implications.

Zelena gave her a pointed nod. “Now you’re getting it, and that’s not the worst part.” She gestured in the vague direction of Emma’s bedroom. “She still has a sprained wrist as well.”

Given the child’s rather turbulent first year of life, she had proven quite sturdy. Aside from bruised knees and scraped palms, a sprained wrist was Emma’s first real injury since they’d taken her out of Storybrooke.

“She rejected magical healing?”

"Yes." Zelena watched her sister over the rim of her glass. “I know you’re going to want to try yourself.”

“Our magics are different,” Regina pointed out.

“And you have a bond with her,” Zelena acknowledged. “Honestly, Regina, I hope your magic works. I don’t…like seeing her in pain.”

Regina knew better than to let her amusement at the admission show. For all witch’s complaints, she’d truly come to love the little girl she’d been forced into raising. “You mentioned multiple problems?”

Zelena contemplated her drink rather than look at her sister. “Her magic flared up again today.”

No sooner had the words left her mouth then Regina was on her feet, heading for the door. Zelena jumped up and caught her sister by the wrist. “Damn it, Regina. We have to talk about this.”

“No. We don’t,” she growled, her eyes flashing momentarily to red. “I’ve made my position on this subject very clear.”

“And I understand your reservations, I truly do,” Zelena tried, her thumb stroking over the darkened band of skin at Regina’s wrist. “No one who was treated like you were would ever want another to have their magic restrained, but Emma is a child. She can’t control it, and in this world that’s dangerous.”

“We can teach her to control it.”

“We can’t be around her _all_ the time. In a few months, she’ll be starting school. All it would take to set her off is one emotional outburst,” Zelena argued rationally. “She’ll be a danger to herself and the other children.”

Regina pulled free from her sister’s grip, but didn’t try to leave the room. Instead she paced, one hand on her hip, the other worrying her chin. Zelena gave Regina her space and poured herself a glass of water. She sat back down and waited for some sort of indication of how Regina’s inner argument was proceeding. When she saw the brunette shake her head, Zelena knew it was time to throw more fuel on the fire. “Think about why we’re doing this, Regina.”

“Doing what?” she snapped.

“ _This_. All of this. Raising a child that isn’t ours.” She leaned forward. “We’re doing it to _protect_ Emma. If her magic runs unchecked, she will be like a beacon to any who would wish to find her. And I’m not talking just about Rumplestiltskin and his wretched curse.”

Regina finally turned around and eyed her sister. “What do you mean?”

“You know as well as I do that there are people out there who would love to get their hands on a child as powerful with magic as Emma. All it would take is one magical flare up and she could draw a lot of unwanted attention.”

“I’d kill anyone that dared lay a hand on her.”

“As would I,” Zelena said automatically. “That goes without saying, but any number of bad things could happen to her before we could find those responsible.”

“I’d know where she is,” Regina argued.

“You’re not a precise instrument when it comes to that, dear,” Zelena argued back and held up her hand. “You’re also straying from the subject which means you find my point valid.”

The brunette grumbled and turned away again. She stared into the fireplace. “Even if I agreed with you,” she said quietly, “I don’t think…it’s not something I can do.”

“I know,” Zelena admitted. “I’ll be the one to do it.”

“When?”

“Not right away. She’s got a few months left before she has to start school, but I do think it needs to be done before then.” Zelena leaned back in her seat. “Do you want to be here for it?”

Regina nodded. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms one time before turning on her heel. “I’m going up to see her.”

Zelena snorted into her drink. “Good luck.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Regina couldn’t get out of the room and away from her tacit agreement fast enough. She moved quickly up the stairs and towards the little pup’s room. Taking a moment, standing outside it, she settled herself and knocked on the hard wood door.

“Go away!”

Regina couldn’t help the smile that curled her lip at the muffled reply. “Emma,” she called, “it’s Aunt Regina. May I come in?” She waited patiently as she heard a distinct thump of feet hitting the floor.

Slowly, the knob turned and the door opened a few inches. Suspicious green eyes peered up at Regina from beneath unruly golden locks. The door opened wider as Emma checked around Regina for any unwanted company. She quickly ushered the older woman inside her room and then closed the door behind her.

Regina watched Emma stomp back over to her bed and pull herself up onto it. “Thank you for seeing me.”

The little girl shrugged and made a production of going back to her coloring books. Regina moved further into the room, picking up a few items of clothing and folding them, well aware that the green eyes watched her every move. “I heard you hurt your wrist today.” She glanced at Emma and caught her staring. “Are you okay?”

Emma frowned before bending her head back to her coloring books. “I’m fine.”

Regina had only herself to blame for that phrase. The little girl was quite the parrot and after spending a weekend at the penthouse she had incorporated the annoying two words into her vocabulary. Zelena had thrown a whiskey tumbler at Regina’s head the next time she’d seen her.

“I’d like to check for myself,” she said, taking a seat on the bed. “May I see your wrist, Emma?”

Emma pulled her left arm in closer to her body. “It doesn’t hurt.”

“Emma, sweetie, it’s okay if it hurts. You can tell me.”

The little girl slammed her crayon down and threw the coloring book off the bed. “It doesn’t hurt, Gina! I fixed it.”

Any other time, Regina would have corrected Emma’s behavior and insist she pick up the things she threw. She was a little too much like Zelena in that regard, but she barely noticed the scattered coloring books. All she saw were two defiant green eyes glaring at her. “What do you mean you fixed it, Emma?”

The littler girl gave a suspicious sniff and looked away, shrugging again. “I don’t know. I thought real hard about it, and then it didn’t hurt anymore.”

Regina felt her mouth go dry. She swallowed with difficulty. “Maybe it wasn’t as hurt as you thought.”

Emma huffed. “I _knew_ you wouldn’t believe me!”

The outburst cut Regina like a knife; how many times had she said the exact same thing to Cora. “Let me see, Emma, please.” The child tried to scoot off the bed, but Regina caught her before she could escape. “I believe you, Emma.”

The little blonde eyed her. “No, you don’t. You’re just saying that.”

She pushed the pup’s hair back behind her ear and smiled down at her. “You have no idea the many wondrous things I’ve seen over the years. I believe in all sorts of things you’ve never even imagined.”

“Like what?”

Regina didn’t answer right away and simply looked at Emma’s wrist. The girl sighed and offered the older woman her arm to examine. Regina gently twisted and bent the small wrist several different directions without a single indication of pain from the little blonde. With a smile, she placed a kiss on it. “Well done, my dear.”

Emma shrugged, her wrist was old news to her. The other things her aunt had mentioned though were much more interesting. She loved her aunt’s stories. They were always full of knights and horses and battles. “What sort of things have you seen?”

“Hmmmm,” Regina pretended to think about it. “Have I ever told you about running with the werewolves?”

The green eyes widened. “No.”

“Well, it’s a long tale.” She got to her feet. “I’ll go downstairs and have Claude fix some snacks for us and when I come back, _if_ you’ve cleaned up your mess,” she looked pointedly at the coloring books, “I’ll tell you all about it.”

Emma’s eyes narrowed, too suspicious for her young age. “Promise?”

“I promise,” Regina said and then slipped out the door, making her way downstairs. Claude appeared from the door leading to the pantry and raised his eyebrow in question. She smiled for his benefit. “The princess and I will be dining on snacks, if you would be so kind as to make up a tray.”

The hint of a grin colored his expression. “Very good, ma’am.”

Regina continued on and into the library finding her sister where she had left her. Zelena looked up from the book she was reading. “How’d it go?”

“Tonight.” It broke Regina's heart, but she wouldn’t see anyone else do what needed to be done. “After she goes to sleep, we restrain her magic tonight.”


	18. Chapter 18

** 7 ** ** years later **

Regina pushed through the doors of the emergency room. Her head was pounding and although she was worried, she wasn't nearly as concerned as she had been the first few times they'd done this song and dance. Emma's school had called; she'd had another injury, her ankle this time while playing softball. Regina had been expecting the call after having been awakened by the jolt of emotion Emma had felt when it happened.

Regina had been sorely tempted to ban Emma from playing any sports the last time she'd broken a bone, but the girl needed her outlets. Zelena needed for Emma to have her outlets. Regina didn't know if it was normal or the result of having wolf blood running in her veins, but Emma had energy to burn. Always. Hence the many different sports and assorted injuries that came with playing them.

Regina also suspected that she and Zelena were partially to blame for Emma's many mishaps. For the first five years of her life, Emma had grown up with instinctive, protective magic. It had allowed her to become somewhat reckless. Ever since they'd dampened her magic, she'd experienced injury after injury. That hadn't been the only side effect, but it was the one Regina was willing to acknowledge.

She reached the check-in desk and presented her ID. "Emma Swan, please. I was told she was brought in by her coach."

"And you are?"

"I'm her emergency contact," Regina explained. "Her aunt is out of the state at the moment."

The nurse nodded and handed back her ID making some sort of notation on a log. "You can go on back. She's behind curtain number three."

She walked back and saw a man in his forties lingering near the curtained off area; his dark green polo shirt had the school's crest on it. "Coach Michaels?"

He nodded and smiled, offering his hand. "You must be Emma's other aunt."

"Regina Mills," she said, dropping his hand quickly. "What happened?"

"Reg?" Emma's voice called from behind the curtain. "Is that you?" She didn't bother waiting for confirmation. "Thank God!"

Regina pushed the curtain back and took in the sight of her 12-year-old, gangly "niece". She had her blonde hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she was still wearing her black and green softball uniform that was covered in red dirt. Her right foot was elevated with ice packs covering it, but Regina could see the edges of purple bruising coloring the otherwise pale skin.

Emma grinned at her. "I'm so glad it's you. I could not handle Z's histrionics right now."

The brunette leaned over and kissed the top of Emma's head. "Idiot,” she muttered. “Are you okay? What happened?"

"It wasn't my fault!" Emma immediately exclaimed. "Their catcher was blocking the entire plate! What was I supposed to do?"

Having never paid any attention to the sport of softball short of watching Emma play occasionally, Regina had no idea how to answer that. She glanced over her shoulder at the coach that was still standing there.

He shrugged genially. "She did score."

" _Thank you_ , Coach Michaels," Regina managed to grind out semi-politely. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Emma cringe. "You may leave now. I'll take Emma home."

"Take it easy, slugger." He leaned past Regina and patted Emma's shoulder. "We'll see you back at school on Monday." He backed away from the brunette, momentarily getting caught up in the curtain in his haste. "Miss Mills."

As soon as he was gone, Emma cracked up laughing. "And he thought he was getting off lucky when the school said they hadn't been able to reach Z!"

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose and took a seat on the lone stool that was next to the bed.

"Headache?" Emma sobered. "I'm sorry, Reg. I didn't mean for you to have to drive all the way out here. I know it's pretty bright out there today." She'd figured out a long time ago that her aunt had some sort of weird allergy to the sun. She would attend a lot of Emma's basketball or indoor volleyball games, but unless it was an important game, she begged off attending any of the outside sports.

Regina was touched that the girl was laid up in a hospital bed but showed concern for her. "I'm fine."

She saw the girl smirk at the expected response and ignored her. "Let's just worry about you for the time being. Is it broken?"

Emma shrugged and tried to sit up a little bit, reaching for the ice packs. "They haven't said yet. We went up and took some x-rays and had just come back down when you arrived." She hissed a little bit when she moved the ice. "Damn, that's cold."

"Language," Regina scolded even as she winced at the swollen, purple and blue joint. "Does it hurt?"

"Not right now it doesn't."

"It will later tonight."

Emma nodded serenely then grinned. "I get ice cream for this, right?"

Later that night, Zelena walked into the library and found the highly unusual sight of her sister dozing in the high backed chair in front of the fireplace. She'd called Regina as soon as she'd gotten back from Oz just to check in and had found out about Emma’s latest injury. She'd gone upstairs to check on the girl and found her completely passed out with one heavily bandaged foot propped up on pillows. It killed her not to be able to heal the girl, but she and Regina had both proven to their own detriment over the years that magical healing simply did not work on Emma.

She turned over two tumblers on the bar and smirked when Regina startled awake. "Caught you."

Regina glared at her and scrubbed a hand over her face. "What time is it?"

"After two." Zelena handed her sister a tumbler of hard cider. "Since when do you sleep in the middle of the night?"

"It's been a long day," she bit out. "Did you go up and see her?"

"Of course. And the doctors said it's just a sprain?"

"Grade 2 sprain." Regina shrugged before her sister could ask her to elaborate on that. "They sent her home with crutches, and she's supposed to take it easy it for 4-6 weeks."

"She'll be running on it in three," Zelena commented and sipped her drink.

Regina covered a yawn. "Probably."

Zelena set her drink down and leaned forward. "Seriously, what is wrong with you? Are you not feeding enough?"

"I'm fine," she tried then rolled her eyes at her sister's unimpressed expression. "I just require a bit more rest these days. My endurance isn't quite what it used to be."

The witch's eyes narrowed. "Since when?" When her sister didn't answer immediately, she worried. "Regina. How long has this been going on?"

The brunette sighed. She’d kept the secret longer than she’d expected. "It started seven years ago."

"What! Why am I just now hearing about this?"

Because it was a weakness and that was not something Regina easily displayed to anyone, not even her sister. She sipped her cider and waited, knowing her sister wasn't done.

"Why haven't you said anything before now?  Why didn't you tell me?  Are you ill?" She frowned. "Did someone curse you?"

"My magic is bonded to Emma's," she said simply. "When we limited hers, we limited mine."

Zelena sat back completely shocked. "And you haven't said anything, all this time."

"I take steps to manage it. I sleep more during the daylight hours. I have to feed more often." She looked down at her hands. "But it's difficult. Without my magic to curb my bloodlust, my vampire tendencies are stronger. I find it difficult to stop feeding. I've been relying more on animal blood lately."

"For fuck's sake, Regina! No wonder you're tired!" Zelena stood up and began pacing. "This is how you managed to get so sick two years ago.” She threw up her hands. “Oh, I'm so mad right now I could hit you."

Regina raised an eyebrow in challenge.

"Did it never occur to you that had I known I could have helped you with this problem?"

"I don't see how."

"And you don't know everything, sister," Zelena snapped every bit the older sister. "There are potions for people like you. Blood strengtheners. Instinct inhibitors."

Regina shook her head. "No, I don't want to be addicted to anything."

"Sister dear, you already _are_ addicted to something. Blood! Taking one of these potions would be like taking a daily vitamin that you don't even have to take daily. The blood strengthener is a few milliliters that you drink once a month." She sank down next to Regina's chair and took her hand. "There's nothing I can do to help your magic but I can help you with this. Please let me." She smirked. "It's been ages since I've made a good potion."

"There's a reassuring thought," Regina griped. "You really think they'll help?"

"They sure as hell won't hurt. If they don’t help, you’ve lost nothing."

Regina squeezed her sister's hand and nodded. "Then, I accept. Thank you."

Zelena bounded up, kissing her sister on the forehead. She was already going over the ingredients she needed when she remembered she was supposed to pass on a message. "Oh, by the way, I saw Snow today while I was in Storybrooke."

"Oh?"

"She wanted me to remind you that baby James' birthday party is next weekend. I believe you're expected to attend." Zelena enjoyed the look of revulsion on her sister's face. Unlike Emma, baby James was not a fan of Regina. "I can't believe he's already one year old, and he hasn't had a single threat on his life. Poor Emma had already survived three by the time she turned one."

Regina got to her feet and stretched her back. "I guess Rumple didn't see the point. If killing Emma didn't break the curse, why bother with James."

 


	19. Chapter 19

** 6 years later **

“This one is called Heart of Darkness.”

Regina couldn’t help but smirk at the dark red lipstick the salesgirl was showing her. Even if she didn’t like the shade, she’d probably buy it anyway. It was perfect for her in another life. “I love it.”

The girl nodded and placed it in a small pile of other cosmetics she’d already selected. Regina was about to select another when she felt a sudden wave of panic sweep over her. She stumbled against the glass counter, catching herself when her knees buckled. Muted pain lashed behind her eyes and she fought back the blackness that was creeping in around her vision.

“Miss Mills, are you all right? Miss Mills?” the sales girl’s voice echoed to her as though from a long tunnel. “Should I call 911?”

“No,” she managed, as the rolling fear that was not her own blinked out and was quickly replaced with her own. “I have to go.” She hurried from the store, digging through her purse for her keys and phone. She punched in her sister’s number as she moved toward the exit. “Zelena, something’s wrong. Something’s happened to Emma.”

Hours later, Regina couldn’t sit and wait any longer. The walls of the ICU waiting room were closing in on her. This time it was no mere broken bone or sports accident. The friend’s SUV that Emma had been riding in had rolled down an embankment. One girl that had been riding in the back seat without her seat belt on had died. The driver and Emma were both in surgery. Regina gave her sister’s hand a squeeze before she stood up; Zelena nodded her understanding and moved with her.

They couldn’t go far, aware that at any moment the doctor could return with an update for them, but Regina had to get out of the room and away from the other family cloistered together in their worry.

“I feel like we should call Snow.”

Regina’s head snapped around to look at her sister. “And tell her what? The daughter that she thought was dead for seventeen years wasn’t but might be in danger now?” She regretted the words as soon as she’d spoken them. Neither she nor her sister were overly emotional and a comment like that just showed how worried Zelena really was. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”

“I know.” The red head patted her arm. They’d reached the end of the corridor, and they both stared out at the night sky. “I haven’t felt this helpless since your years with the Master.”

Regina flinched, the mention of him catching her off guard. She shook off the memories before they could truly form; she didn’t have time for those now. “We aren’t helpless,” she argued. “We just need Emma to make it through surgery and then we can release her magic. She’ll be able to heal herself.”

Zelena blinked. “What?”

“Her magic will heal her,” Regina said again slowly.

“If the shock alone doesn’t kill her first.”

“She’ll be no worse off than she is now.”

“You don’t know that,” Zelena argued. “We don’t know anything yet and you’re already treating her as if she’s dying.”

“She _is_ dying, Zelena,” Regina snapped in a harsh whisper. “We’ve been here for six hours waiting for them to tell us what I’ve already felt.”

The witch paled as she took in a breath. “What do you mean?”

Regina turned away from her sister. She hadn’t meant to say that much, but it was too late now to keep the truth any longer. “She’s slipping away, Z. My connection to her…it’s fading.”

“Maybe that’s just the anesthesia,” Zelena tried.

Regina shook her head. “It’s more than that.”

There was a commotion at the end of the hall, and they hurried back in time to hear the surgeon’s reporting on the driver of the vehicle. It seemed the young woman would likely make a full recovery. Her parents began crying and the noise grated Regina’s nerves. In unspoken agreement, they and the doctor moved outside the waiting room.

“Well?” Zelena demanded of him.

He began speaking, explaining Emma’s injuries, the procedures they’d used, but the words washed over Regina in a blur. She didn’t care; the injuries and what medical science thought didn’t matter. She needed Emma to have a pulse and preferably some brain activity. Everything else could be taken care of. “When can we see her?”

The doctor looked affronted that she’d interrupted him but masked it quickly enough. He gestured towards the ICU. “Once they get her settled into a room here,” he glanced between the two women, “immediate family will be allowed in to see her.”

“We are both her immediate family,” Zelena growled.

“When will she be here?” It was all Regina cared about knowing. If this doctor or anyone else thought they’d be able to keep her from seeing Emma, they had quite a nasty shock coming.

“She’s out of surgery now,” he said, instinctively backing away from the brunette. “You should be able to see her in about an hour.”

Zelena placed a restraining hand on her sister's forearm. "Thank you, doctor." He nodded and bolted for the elevators. "He said she's critical."

Regina nodded, indicating she'd heard her sister. She was shaking; the effort to contain her inner predator was clawing against every human impulse she had. A light fixture in the ceiling sparked and burned itself out causing a shout of surprise from a nurse walking by. Zelena grabbed Regina by the arm and dragged her back down the corridor. She hissed at her sister, "Calm. _Down_."

The brunette nodded, swallowed back the saliva that had pooled in her mouth. She breathed in the antiseptic smell of the hospital, concentrating on the chemicals rather than the underlying scents of blood and sickness. She pulled her arm free from the witch's grasp. "Let go of me."

Zelena rolled her eyes. "You can eat him later, for now, get a grip."

"Don't insult me," she snapped. She paced the width of the hallway. "We'll need at least fifteen minutes alone with Emma."

The witch nodded. "I can cause enough of a diversion for you to finish it by yourself if necessary."

"Good." She glared at the doors leading to the ICU. "I think we're going to need it."

They were quiet for a few minutes, both lost in their own thoughts, Zelena watching her sister more than the brunette realized. "You're not going to do something stupid, are you?"

Regina didn't bother denying she was having what her sister would classify as 'stupid' thoughts. "Just make sure I have the full fifteen minutes."

"You can't heal her. You _know_ that."

They both watched the end of the corridor as the doors to the ICU were held open and a bed with three nurses surrounding it was wheeled inside. The patient's long blonde hair easily visible spread over the pillow. Zelena gripped her sister's arm.

Regina watched until the ICU doors were once again closed. "I know I'll do whatever it takes."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

For seventy plus years, Regina had waged war in the name of the one she had been forced to call master. She had walked a hundred battlefields and seen thousands of bloodied bodies. She’d lost count of the number of people she’d been personally responsible for killing. And yet, none of that prepared her for the sight of Emma.

She had seen the girl half a dozen times in the emergency room, but this time was different. Absent was the sheepish grin and groan accompanied laughter that Emma had always seemed to possess despite whatever bone she had managed to break or ligament she had sprained. The girl’s tolerance for pain had become somewhat legendary among her peers; so much so that on more than one occasion a friend had pulled aside one or both of Emma’s aunts and confided to them about possible new injuries the girl was ignoring.

No one needed to tell them this time.

A bandage encircled Emma’s head and part of her blonde hair had been shaved away near the temple on her right side. Bruising streaks trailed out from beneath the gauze and the nurses hadn’t quite managed to clean away all the blood from her hair. An oxygen tube was stretched across her face and her mouth was held partially open by an intubated tube that was forcing her lungs to work properly. An IV ran into the back of her hand and a pulse monitor was clipped to her finger. The thin hospital blanket hid the rest of the sins her body had endured.

Zelena’s hand shook as she brushed a lock of hair back and leaned over to kiss Emma’s forehead. The movement snapped Regina out of her stupor. She looked pointedly at the nurse still hovering nearby. “Could you give us a minute?”

The woman nodded and left. Regina drew the curtain closed around the small area and circled around to the far side of Emma’s bed. Now wasn’t the time for emotions, she needed to concentrate. She gently rested one hand on Emma’s forehead, avoiding the worst of the bandages, and gripped the girl’s limp hand with her other. “Zelena.”

She felt more than saw her sister mirror her pose. She needed Zelena for the first part; they had both restrained Emma’s magic and therefore it required both of them to unlock it. Their magic met and melded together before reaching for the weak glow that they could both feel was uniquely Emma. Regina smiled as she kept her head bowed when the girl’s magic seemed to recognize and move towards them. She felt Emma’s pulse begin to increase and she silenced the machine before it could alarm anyone.

“Hello, dear,” Zelena greeted quietly, speaking her thoughts aloud without realizing it.

Regina refocused her efforts and tried to convey caution to the young woman’s magic. Finding and unlocking the magic was the easy part, now she needed to release it without causing too much stress on Emma's body. Zelena began to cautiously withdraw, knowing she would soon be needed elsewhere. Emma’s senses seemed to sadden at her departure, but Regina offered reassurance. Curiosity bloomed bright in the space they had opened, and the brunette guided the first tendril of white energy that stretched out, curtailing its efforts to explore.

She vaguely felt Zelena leave and could almost hear her sister talking rather loudly to who she assumed was a nurse sent to check on them. She knew she needed to hurry a process that shouldn’t be rushed. She opened the floodgates more and power rushed into her own body, her blood singing at the full return of her magic. Emma twitched beneath her hands, and Regina poured the returned magic back into the young woman. A pounding headache rushed her senses.

She knew better than to try and heal Emma, but she could teach the young magic what it needed to do. She guided the energy as she released it towards healing. Regina could feel her muscles beginning to shake as she untangled the last strands of Emma’s lock. The warm glow of magic seemed to wake up and stretch, giving Regina's magic a warm caress as it moved past her.

The pounding in Regina's head was getting worse and although the vampire didn’t need to breathe, the sensation of something heavy sitting on her chest was becoming harder to ignore. She insisted to the magic that curled around hers that she wasn't trying to heal; she was simply trying to guide, but that technicality didn't seem to matter. Pain flowed from her head to her feet, and she realized the room wasn't getting darker; her vision was tunneling. With a last push, she gave all the magic she could afford to Emma and then released.

Sound rushed in on her as she came back to herself. Zelena was arguing loudly and the nurses were threatening security if she didn't calm down. Regina felt nauseous, but she had to get out of the hospital before she collapsed. Dealing with a comatose vampire was not something a human hospital could handle. If she was lucky, she'd wake up in the morgue before they cut her open. She watched Emma for any encouraging sign as she staggered around the end of the bed, preparing to leave. The girl's color looked better. Just before she reached for it, the curtain was ripped back and she tried to straighten for appearance's sake. 

"We're leaving," Zelena announced. She embraced Regina in a supportive hug and whispered, "Keep your eyes down, do not look up." 

Regina sagged against her sister and barely managed to get an arm around her waist to try and keep herself upright. "Get me out of here."

"I will be back," Zelena told the nursing staff that were all glaring at her as she supported the brunette. Once they were at the elevator, Zelena couldn’t wait any longer and hissed, "Well?"

The brunette nodded. "Her magic is strong."

"Good," Zelena snapped as she used her own magic to keep her sister upright. "You better hope she recovers because I'm going to kill you for this."  



	20. Chapter 20

Regina woke to the taste of blood in her mouth. She groaned in delight wanting more, her fangs were extended but there was no flesh for her to suckle. Her eyes flew open in confusion and the scent of dog hit her senses. “Wha-?”

Ruby was backing away from her, hands held up defensively. “Easy Regina, it’s just me. Ruby.”

She didn’t see any obvious wounds on the tall brunette, but she could still smell fresh blood. She turned and saw a mug on the nightstand with a red tinted straw sticking out of it.

“Zelena said I shouldn’t let you feed directly from me.” Ruby had retreated to the open door. “She said you might not be able to stop.”

Regina snatched the mug off the table and sniffed it; her mouth watered. She knocked it back, gulping the warm, coppery liquid until it was gone. It wasn’t enough; it would have to be. Ruby started to move forwards and Regina held up a hand, stopping her. The wolf’s scent was too strong in her blood for her to be any closer.

She could feel the cobwebs clearing away from her mind, but all the aches and pains of her body remained. The entire right side of her body throbbed and felt like one massive bruise, and the headache was enough that she wished she could return to unconsciousness. She could only imagine how badly Emma must feel.

“Do you…want some more?” Ruby asked, shifting her weight to the balls of her feet, prepared to run if necessary.

Yes. God yes, she wanted more. She swallowed, “My sister called you?”

“Well, she called Snow and I was there. She said you’d been in a really bad wreck or something, and that you needed help, but, you know, she couldn’t like take you to the hospital.” Ruby shrugged. “I offered to come.”

A wreck. It was as good a story as any she supposed for anyone that didn’t know better. The few accidents she’d been in over the years she’d walked away from unscathed, but at least, her injuries were consistent this time. “How long have I been out?”

“I got here two days ago.”

“Two days?!”

“Yeah, we’ve been giving you a mug full of blood every four hours or so.”

Two days. She’d been unconscious for two days. What about Emma? She needed to know how Emma was. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask before she realized she couldn’t. Ruby didn’t know about Emma. She needed to talk to Zelena. Then she realized something else Ruby had said. “Wait, Ruby, who is we?”

“Hello, dearie.”

Regina scrambled up from the bed, ignoring the searing pain that threatened to knock her back down. “ _You_!”

The slim, immaculately dressed man grinned at her from across the room. “Did you miss me?”

“Regina?”

“Ruby, get out of here.” Regina called fire to her palm.

“Now, now,” he said calmly, leaning on the cane at his side. “That isn’t necessary. I’m only here to chat.” He looked at Ruby. “I’m afraid I haven’t been completely truthful with you, Miss Lucas, but I assure you, I mean the young queen no harm.”

Ruby looked between the two of them. “Regina, he arrived yesterday. He told me Zelena had sent him.” She glared at him, her wolf rising in her eyes. “Who the hell are you?”

He smirked. “Shall I introduce myself?”

Regina rolled her eyes and snuffed out the fireball. “He’s Rumplestiltskin.”

Ruby growled, “He’s the one that killed Emma?!”

“No, Ruby,” she said quickly before the wolf did anything rash. She really wasn’t in any condition for a magical showdown right now. “He isn’t responsible for Emma’s death.”

His eyes glittered at her response and Regina knew in that moment that he knew the truth. He knew Emma was alive and that no one else from Storybrooke knew it. He also used Zelena as his excuse for being here which meant he knew about her too. What Regina didn’t know was why he was helping her if he had been the one trying to kill the child seventeen years ago.

“Ruby, would you give us a few minutes, please?”

The wolf looked surprised, but she backed down. “Yeah, sure. Just yell if he tries anything…creepy.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Regina asked once they were alone.

“I came by to pay my respects, your Majesty.” He moved closer. “That was quite a bit of magic you used the other night. Light and dark mixing together. I had to see for myself who was wielding that kind of power.”

The hospital. Her magic and Emma’s. “And now that you have?”

He touched his chest with his free hand. “I offer my sincere appreciation to you for keeping the girl alive.”

“Appreciation?” she repeated in disbelief.

“But, of course,” he said. “After all the trouble I went through to cast the curse, do you really think I want it broken?"

Regina frowned, there were so many thoughts trying to take precedence. "Wait. If Emma _dies_ , the curse breaks?"

He nodded.

She sank down onto the bed. "You weren't trying to kill her as a baby."

"I wasn't aware of her existence until I felt her magic mixed with yours three nights ago."

“How could you not know?”

He shrugged, taking a seat across from her. “I didn’t stay in Storybrooke. I left almost immediately for Neverland.”

“Neverland!” It explained why no one had seen him once the curse had been cast. “Because the barrier between worlds is thinner in Storybrooke,” she said more to herself than him. “Why Neverland?”

“That’s my business.”

She rolled her eyes at his evasion. “But you live here now?”

“Yes,” he said, “and we’re quite happy here.”

“We?”

He ignored her. “I do not want the curse broken, which means, we have a common problem."

Regina considered his words. "Whoever does want the curse broken is still out there.”

"And is likely aware that Emma is not quite as deceased as they may have thought now that you’ve released her magic."

"If it wasn't you..."

"The list is very short, dearie," he said. "Who would know enough about the curse to know that the product of true love could break it? Who has the most to gain by returning to the Enchanted Forest?"

Regina considered the wolves. Some of them had been very upset that they could no longer change, but it wasn’t in their nature to turn against their Alpha's young. It was also doubtful they'd have the magical knowledge to do so. Same with the dwarves, one of their own was in charge of the town. They were treated far better in Storybrooke than they were in their own world, and they lacked the magical knowledge. Anger was beginning to rise in her blood as the list narrowed.

Her eyes met Rumple's. "The fairies lost their ability to do magic in this world."

"But not their knowledge," he agreed.

"They'd still know how to brew potions; they'd understand how to contain and use poisons."

He nodded. “I believe it’s time, you and I took a little trip to Storybrooke.”

“Yes,” she growled, “I believe the town has a moth problem that needs exterminating.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time Rumple left an hour later, Regina’s headache was almost blinding, and there was still so much to be done. She needed to call Zelena and check on Emma; she needed to call Snow and warn her to keep James close for the next couple of days. Neither she nor Rumple were too concerned the fairies would go after James since he was the second born, but if something happened to him and she hadn’t warned Snow, she’d never forgive herself. She also needed to feed. It was the only way she’d get her strength back so they could go and deal with Blue and the gang.

Ruby walked in while Regina was still sitting on the edge of her bed. She placed a mug down on the nightstand and then slouched into the chair that Rumple had vacated. “Drink up.”

Regina’s hand shook as she reached for the mug. “You don’t have to keep doing this.”

“Fine. I’ll stop,” Ruby said, “but there’s no point in wasting that so drink.”

Even after so many decades, it still shamed Regina when someone saw or watched her feed. She hated it, but the wolf was looking at her with a challenge in her expression. Regina frowned, hesitating. “Is everything all right?”

“Drink first. Questions later.” Ruby glanced away towards the hallway. “You know it’s better warm.”

The statement was surprising. Ruby was always so easy going and seemingly unburdened; Regina sometimes forgot she was dealing with a fellow predator. “Thank you.”

Ruby nodded and waited until she was finished drinking before she said, “So. Emma’s alive?”

Regina coughed; the headache that had abated slightly with the blood throbbed. “What?”

The wolf smirked and tapped a finger near her ear. “Wolf hearing. I’m sure if you’d been feeling better you wouldn’t have forgotten about that little detail.” Her eyes narrowed. “Maybe you really do have a concussion.”

“I don’t…” she started and then thought better of her denial at Ruby’s raised eyebrow. She dropped her head to her hand and rubbed her fingers over her eyes. “You heard everything?”

“Yep. Rumple didn’t try to kill Emma; the fairies did…except they didn’t succeed. You and your sister have been raising her ever since,” she summed up. “Here’s the part I don’t understand. I remember standing next to you at the funeral, Regina. I mean, that did happen, right? I’m remembering _that_ correctly?”

Regina swallowed thickly. “I can explain.”

“I assumed you could.” She gestured at the empty mug. “Do you think I’d still be helping you if I didn’t?”

“Fair point,” Regina conceded. “Yes, the funeral happened. It had to in order for the story to be convincing.” She could feel the restrained aggression rolling off Ruby. If she said one wrong thing, she knew the wolf would attack and that really wasn’t a fight she wanted to have today. “It was all Snow’s idea.”

“Snow?” Ruby’s eyes widened. “You mean she _knows_? About adult Emma?”

Regina shook her head. “She wanted to give the baby her best chance to survive, and that meant changing your memories about what happened that night in the loft. Hers included.”

The wolf got up and paced to the other side of the room. She shook her hands out at her sides. “All right, so you’re telling me, instead of failing that night, you actually _saved_ baby Emma, erased and changed our memories, then lied to us about what happened.”

Regina got to her feet, pulling her magic close in case she needed to defend herself. “Yes.”

“And it was Snow’s plan?”

“Yes.”

Ruby paced the width of the room several times. “It’s been seventeen years since that night, Regina. Were you ever going to tell us?”

“Yes, if and when we ever found Rumplestiltskin,” Regina explained, “or when Emma became older and strong enough to protect herself with her magic.” She shrugged. “We, Zelena and I, wanted to let Emma get through school first, experience a normal childhood.”

“So, Emma doesn’t know _any_ of this.” Red gestured between herself and the vampire. “She doesn’t know about people like us or that her mother is Snow White?”

“Or that there’s an entire town in Maine populated by fairy tale characters?” Regina couldn’t help the humorless laugh that escaped. “No. She has no idea. Zelena and I are her aunts, and we are raising her because her parents were killed in an accident.”

Ruby ran her hands through her hair and then slumped against the desk. “So, now what? She wakes up from this car accident to find out she’s landed in Wonderland?”

Regina sighed, letting her magic go. “It isn’t how I wanted her to find out, but in order to save her from her injuries we had to release her magic. So, now we have to tell her.”

“It was hard for me to believe when I found out I was a monster, and I lived in a world with magic,” Red admitted. “I can’t imagine how she’ll deal.”

“You aren’t a monster, Ruby,” Regina argued quietly. She hated hearing the young woman refer to herself that way. “She’s going to have to accept it, but no, I don’t think it will be easy.”

“And what about the fairies?”

“Rumplestiltskin and I are going to take care of them.”

“I want to go with you when you do.”

Regina had seen that coming from a mile away. “No, Ruby, I’m sorry, but you can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Ruby, you can’t tell anyone about Emma. Not until we have the fairies taken care of,” Regina said. “That means you can’t shift until then either or your entire pack will know.”

“Including Snow and David,” Ruby acknowledged. “Wow, okay. Well, that means you’ve got about three days then.”

The vampire frowned at the deadline and then groaned. “Wolfstime.”

Ruby nodded. "Yep."

Regina’s headache throbbed worse than ever.


	21. Chapter 21

Regina quietly pushed open the door to Emma’s hospital room and saw her sister immediately sit up straighter. She held up a hand and Zelena relaxed, “A little warning goes a long way, sis.”

The brunette ignored her and walked to the side of the bed, peering at the sleeping blonde. The breathing tube was gone and the young woman appeared peaceful. A knot in Regina’s chest finally loosened at the sight of Emma and she placed a kiss on her temple. “How is she?”

“A medical miracle,” Zelena whispered back. “The doctors simply don’t understand how she’s made such a miraculous turnaround.”

“They know how to take care of sickness,” Regina said, stroking the blonde hair. “They’ll never understand healing.” She looked up at her sister. “I suggest you check her out of here as soon as you think she’s well enough to leave.”

The door to the room opened again before Zelena could agree, and the witch’s eyes widened at the sight of Ruby. Zelena jumped to her feet. “Ruby…wh-what are you doing here?”

“Relax Zelena,” Regina sighed, “she knows everything.”

Ruby shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “Hey Z, good to see you again.”

Zelena looked back and forth between the two brunettes completely flummoxed. “O-okay. Uh, Regina, a word please. _Now_.”

“It wasn’t intentional,” Regina said, trying to hold off an argument. “Her wolf hearing overheard me and Rumplestiltskin talking.”

If possible, Zelena’s green eyes grew even larger. “Rumplestiltskin! You were _talking_ with Rumple-stilt-skin.” An unhealthy green flush crept into the witch’s cheeks. “So when I asked you over the phone how things were going, and you said we needed to talk in person, what you really meant was that you’d _blown up_ seventeen years’ worth of secrecy in a matter of hours!  Why the hell was Rumplestiltskin in your house?!”

“Because he told Ruby that you’d sent him!” Regina snapped back.

“What? I. Did. Not,” she said emphatically. “I’ve never even met that imp.”

“Well, he knows who you are,” Regina pointed out. “But more importantly, he’s not the one that tried to kill Emma all those years ago.”

The witch blinked. “Then who the hell did?”

“The Blue Fairy and her little band of dust hurlers.”

Zelena opened her mouth and closed it twice before she finally shook her head and muttered, “I need to sit down.”

Ruby skirted out of the witch’s way having overheard everything once again. She let the silence settle until it grew awkward then cleared her throat. “So, this is Emma, huh? Not quite such a little pup anymore, is she?”

The witch and the vampire stared at the wolf.

When Emma chose that moment to wake up, Ruby swore she’d buy the girl lunch at Granny’s any time she wanted it.

“Reg,” the girl said sleepily, “is that you?”

Regina leaned down and kissed Emma on the forehead again. “Yes, you idiot. I’m here.”

Emma grinned and then winced as she tried to sit up. “Where you been?”

 Zelena leaned over and thumbed the controls on the bed to make it rise slightly. It was only then Emma noticed Ruby standing in the corner. She blinked. “Oh. Hi?”

“Emma, this is Ruby,” Zelena said making the introduction with a quick glare at her sister. “She’s an old friend of the family.”

The blonde glanced first at Zelena then at Regina. “Have I met her before?”

Regina shook her head. “No.”

“Oh, good,” Emma sounded relieved. “Thought I’d forgotten something there, what with the hit to my head and all.” She frowned slightly. “Why are you here?”

“Oh, well, I was in town and heard what happened,” Ruby said. “I wanted to check in on you and your…aunts.”

Emma frowned like she didn’t really believe the girl but dismissing it, she grinned up at Regina. “Z hasn’t let me have any ice cream yet.”

Regina rolled her eyes. “I think that tradition is reserved for when you come home from the hospital not while you are still in it.”

“Come on, can’t we make an exception this once?” she reached out her hand for Regina’s and they both jumped at the spark of contact. “Jeez, Reg.” Emma shook her hand out. “Are you standing on an electric cord?”

The three older women all exchanged a loaded look, but Regina reached down and retook Emma’s hand without incident. “Must have been static.”

Emma frowned at their joined hands for a minute before turning to look over at Zelena. “Can you close the blinds, Z? I’m sure that sun isn’t helping Reg’s headache.” She glanced at Ruby, mistaking her look of concern as confusion. “Sorry, Reg has like a sun allergy.”

Ruby nodded quickly. “Oh, right. I forgot about that…sun allergy, thing.”

“Emma, how did you know I have a headache?” Regina asked.

The young woman shrugged and rubbed her thumb over Regina’s knuckles. “I can always tell. You get that pinched look between your eyes.”

Regina thought it was more than that since she could feel the warmth of Emma’s magic against the palm of her hand. She swallowed as she also sensed her granddaughter’s sadness. “Emma?”

The expressive green eyes looking up at her watered almost instantly, but she looked away from Regina, sniffing suspiciously.

Regina glanced at her sister and Ruby. “Would you two mind giving us a minute?”

Zelena nodded and stood up. “Sure. I think a walk down to the café downstairs would be good.”

“Bye, Emma,” Ruby said shyly, “it was nice meeting you.”

The young woman nodded silently but didn’t look up. Regina waited for the door to shut behind them before she hooked the nearby stool with her foot and pulled it closer so she could sit down. She held Emma’s hand between both of hers. “It’s just us now, Emma.” She kissed the girl’s hand. “You want to tell me what’s going on?”

“You remember Brandy?” she sniffed. “You took us shopping that one time a few months ago.”

Regina had to think. Smallish girl with jet black and electric blue hair. She’d looked like a punk rock version of a young Snow with matching attitude. “Yes, I remember. What about her?”

Emma turned towards Regina and had tears running down her face. “She was the one in the back seat, Reg. She didn’t make it.”

“Oh, Emma.” She stood up and slid next to her as best she could. “I am so sorry.”

They sat that way for several minutes, Emma crying quietly slumped against Regina as the brunette sat halfway on the bed with an arm around the young woman’s shoulders. She kissed the top of Emma’s head, mindful of the bandage and the stitches.

“I wish you could have saved her, Reg,” Emma mumbled, her voice watery. “I wish you could have saved her like you did me.”

Regina stiffened just as she’d been about to reach for the box of tissues. “What do you mean?”

“I felt you and Z,” Emma said, her words slurring slightly. “You pulled me back. You saved me.” She closed her eyes, relaxing against her aunt the way she had a hundred times before. “Knew you would.”

Regina sat frozen; she could tell by how heavy Emma had gotten against her side that the young girl had fallen asleep, but she didn’t know if she could move. She sat that way until Zelena quietly came back in the room a half hour later. Together they gently maneuvered Emma back down on the bed and pulled the sheet up under the girl’s arms.

“Regina?” Zelena asked quietly. “Are you all right?”

The brunette blinked. “Did you tell her about the accident? About her friend?”

“No, not the details, just that she was in an accident.” Zelena shook her head. “She hasn’t been awake long enough.”

“She knows,” Regina said. “She knows her friend died, and that’s not all. She felt us; she felt our magic when we reached out to her. She knew we were there in the ICU.”

Zelena looked worriedly at the sleeping girl.

“And I think…”

The witch looked up at her sister. “You think what?”

“My headache is gone," Regina admitted. "I think she healed it.”

Zelena sank down until she was sitting on the edge of the bed. She reached out absently and stroked Emma’s hand. “She’s more powerful than we thought.”

Regina nodded. “I’m going to ask Ruby to stay here with you. She’ll add another layer of protection.”

“Okay.” For once, Zelena didn’t argue. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to call Rumple. He and I are going to Storybrooke tonight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The line Regina says about doctors knowing how to take care of sickness but not healing is very close to something I read a long time ago in a Christopher Pike book. Witch, I think. I always liked that line. A nod and acknowledgment to all the Pike books I devoured in my younger years.   
> Thank you so much for continuing to read!


	22. Chapter 22

Regina walked through the darkened manor, her heels clicking against the floor. The sun would be up soon but for the moment the shadows embraced her as she stalked her prey. The Blue Fairy grunted as she dragged her broken body across the hardwood floor, angling towards the front door of the large house as though she could escape. The vampire ran the tip of her tongue over the sharp ends of her fangs; it had been a long time since she’d allowed her primal blood-lust to run so unchecked.

“I do like to give credit where it’s due,” she drawled, emerging from the shadows in front of the struggling former fairy. “You managed to procure more power for yourself than I ever imagined you could.”

Blue stared at the stiletto heels in front of her face. “W-why did you do this?”

“ _Why_?” Regina repeated the word, surprised. “Is that really the position you’re going to take, Rheul? Ignorance?” When she didn’t get an immediate response, she bent at the waist, her face coming close to the pixie's and offered the one word that would make her presence clear. “Em-ma.”

The smaller brunette closed her eyes and trembled as she tried to keep herself propped up on her elbows. “I was trying…to set things right.”

“You were _trying_ to kill a baby.” The vampire took a seat on the Victorian window bench at the end of the hall. The floor-to-ceiling stain glass window allowed a few weak beams of early morning light to slightly illuminate the hall. “You were _trying_ to regain your power, your relevance.”

Blue looked up at the brunette. “We aren’t supposed to be here.”

A rhythmic tap against the floorboards announced Rumple’s presence before they saw him. He barely acknowledged the woman lying on the floor as he stepped past her. “Are the rest of them taken care of?”

“Of course,” Regina said, annoyed he felt the need to ask. “Did the yellow one tell you anything interesting?”

“Oh yes.” He turned and they both looked down at the panting Blue Fairy. “It seems they’ve been quite busy the past few days. With a little bit of suggestion, she was all too eager to show me what potions they’d been brewing.”

It wasn’t surprising. “Did you make a deal with her?”

“She thought so.” He shrugged. “Alas, she decided to personally demonstrate the poison they’d been brewing instead.”

“You’re both…monsters.” Blue coughed up blood on the floor, rolling onto her side. The Dark One and the Evil Queen eyed her without remorse.

“I understand the distaste you have for such a creature,” Rumple said, gesturing towards Blue with his walking stick, “but it is still magical blood.” He sniffed. “It’d be a shame to waste it.”

“I’m not going to waste it; I’m simply letting her keep it warm for me.”

The Dark One chuckled. “I’ll be in the library when you’re finished here.”

Regina waited silently as he left, watching Blue drag herself towards the wall. As soon as she and Rumple had burst through the door of the large manor, Blue had tried to run. A small ball of blue magic had been tossed in their direction, but Rumple had swatted it away with a flick of his wrist. Regina had broken Blue’s back with a well thrown blast of magic, leaving the pixie leader to writhe on the floor as Regina and Rumple dispatched the rest of the vermin. A dozen bodies lay scattered throughout the house. Regina hadn’t scented magic in any of them.

But Blue had magic. She’d kept all the magic the fairies had been able to acquire for herself. If Regina didn’t hate her so much, she’d be impressed.

“What are you waiting on…demon?” Blue spat, propping herself up against the wall.

“I’m allowing you to suffer, moth.” She ran her hand idly through a stream of pale blue light filtering in through the window's glass. “While we’re waiting, why don’t you tell me why you really did it?”

Blue actually began to laugh. “You want a confession?” She coughed. “I thought…I was the nun.”

“You’re no more a nun than you are a hero.”

“And what does this slaughter make you, Regina?”

“A killer,” she answered simply, “but then, you already knew that.”

With inhuman speed, the vampire moved from the bench and straddled the fairy, sinking sharp, pointed teeth into the hollow of the woman’s neck. Blue gasped at the shock of pain, her hands scrambling fruitlessly against the monster’s grip as she was dragged up to her feet.

Blood and magic flowed into Regina. She straightened her back, forcing the pixie up against the wall, never once losing her bite. She felt the small hands push against her and grinned as the life before her began fading into nothing.

Then she felt a darkness she hadn’t expected. A black ribbon of evil coiled in the bottom of the pixie’s soul bit at her. Regina tore herself away, staggering backwards as she dropped Blue into a boneless heap on the floor. She blinked, examined the taste in her mouth, and the slight tingle of dark magic left behind on her lips.

“Regin…”

The vampire stared down at the strangled whisper, shocked the pixie was still alive.

“…never wanted…”

Regina crouched down. “Blue?”

“not…my idea…” the fairy’s eyes closed. “Thank…” The last muscle in her body relaxed into death as blood continued to drip from the wound in her neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little short, but fear not, one more to come tonight.


	23. Chapter 23

Rumple stood in the manor’s grand foyer, examining a photo hung on the wall when Regina joined him. He pointed at it. “We’re missing one.”

She glanced at the photo of fourteen pixies standing in front of the convent. A very unhappy blonde was in the front row, appearing completely uncomfortable in the nun costume. “That’s Tinkerbelle,” she explained. “She left the convent shortly after everyone’s arrival in Storybrooke.”

“Shall we pay her a visit?”

“No. I’ll check on her, but I doubt she had anything to do with their schemes.” She stretched her neck from side to side. “Then I need to talk to Snow and Charming.”

Rumple leaned towards her and sniffed. “That’s an unusual scent you’re wearing, your Majesty.”

She knew he wasn’t referring to her choice of perfume. “Blue’s magic was darker than I was expecting.”

“Or she stole it from someone darker than she was expecting.”

Regina was immediately suspicious. “What do you know?”

“I know lots of things, dearie,” he smirked, then added, “but about this, I know you don’t live as long as Rheul Ghorm did without darkening your soul to some degree. Despite her claims.”

She eyed him. “How old was she?”

“She was one of the ancient ones,” he said almost wistfully. “Now, I believe you have business in town to attend to; I’ll tidy up here.”

Regina didn’t trust the Dark One’s sudden helpfulness, but the sun was up and soon the residents of Storybrooke would be as well. With a wave of her arm, she poofed herself back to her car. A glance at her reflection confirmed she should keep her sunglasses handy. She reapplied her lipstick and used magic to clean a few stray drops of blood from her shirtfront as she considered how best to approach the former green pixie.

It didn’t take much planning at all. She knew where Tink lived; she burst through the front door and walked straight into the bedroom brandishing fireballs. Tink was light on her feet and while still half-asleep, she scrambled from the bed seconds before it burst into flames.

“What the hell, Regina!”

The vampire tossed the blonde across the room with magic, throwing her against the wall hard enough to daze the pixie. She took a few seconds too long to pick herself up from the floor and Regina advanced. A magic choke hold wrapped around Tink’s throat, lifting her off the floor.

“Reg…ina!” Tink choked out, clawing at invisible fingers cutting off her oxygen supply. “Please…stop.”

Regina pinned her against the wall, replacing her magic with her hand and trapping the small blonde with her body. She bared her fangs and watched the emerald eyes widen in fear. She could feel how much Tink was trembling, how her heart was pumping furiously beneath her chest. The rush of blood tugged at Regina, whispering for her to taste it. She leaned in, teeth grazing over exposed skin.

Tinkerbelle whimpered as a single tear rolled down her turned cheek. She wasn’t looking anymore, her eyes closed and head turned against the inevitable.

Pain throbbed behind Regina’s eyes when she pulled back, denying herself. She drummed her fingers against the blonde’s neck. “You know why I’m here,” she said quietly, whispering at the fairy’s ear. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you.”

“I…I don’t...,” Tink gasped, the trembling becoming more pronounced. “I swear…Regina, I don’t know…I don’t…I haven’t done anything. I’m sorry…”

“If you haven’t done anything,” Regina kept her mouth tantalizingly close to Tink’s neck, nuzzling the blonde, “why are you sorry?”

“I…there must’ve been something…,” the pixie tried, still keeping her eyes closed and her head turned away. “Whatever it was-” she risked a quick peek at the brunette, “I didn’t mean it. I swear.”

The vampire grabbed her victim by the chin and forced her to look at her. “Open your eyes,” she ordered. She rarely used her limited thrall, but she let her influence build in her eyes as pupil-blown green orbs finally met hers. “Tell me the truth.”

The blonde calmed under her influence, sagging against her grip. “I’ll tell you the truth.”

“Why did you want to kill Snow White’s baby girl?”

Even under thrall, Tink’s confusion was clear. “I never…” she shook her head. “No, I didn’t have anything to do with that.”

“Do you know who did?” This answer could be the difference between life and a quick death. If she'd known and not said anything...

“Rumplestiltskin,” Tink breathed.

“No, the Dark One had nothing to do with the child’s death.” She watched closely as Tink’s confusion grew. “Rhuel Ghorm was responsible.”

The blonde’s face crumpled. “No. No, please…” Several more tears ran down her face. “S-she couldn’t have…she wouldn’t…”

“She tried,” Regina insisted, pulling her influence back. She believed the pixie’s innocence. “When she found out her attempt failed, she began making preparations to try again.”

Tink shook her head. “But she’s a _good_ fairy.”

Regina leaned back, no longer trapping the smaller woman but still supporting her. “If she was such a good fairy, why did you leave the order?”

Instead of answering, Tink’s eyes widened again as she looked over the brunette’s shoulder at the flaming furniture in the middle of her bedroom. “Regina!”

The vampire rolled her eyes and stepped back completely from the fairy. She used magic to put the room back to rights, extinguishing the fire, fixing the burn marks on the walls, and even remaking the bed. “There. Happy?”

Tink was coming back to herself. “Happy?!” She pushed off from the wall. “No! I’m not happy, Regina! Seriously, what the fuck was all this?”

It was hard to take the blonde pixie seriously when she stood there in nothing but a lime green half shirt and matching bikini underwear. Regina raised an eyebrow at the other woman’s wardrobe which earned her another round of curses.

“Oh! I’m sorry. Is my attire not fucking good enough for her Majesty?” She stormed past the brunette, heading for her dresser. “I guess I didn’t know what to wear for an unscheduled-lust-filled-vampire attack in my own fucking bedroom!” She pulled on a pair of sweat pants. “How the hell did you even get in here? You know what? Never mind! I don’t fucking care!” She grabbed a large oversize hoodie off the foot of the perfectly made bed. “You’re insane!  That’s what you are!” She paused her tirade long enough to pull the sweatshirt over her head. “All that blood has finally gone to your head and made you crazy. And I don’t mean crazy like you used to be back in our world. I mean like serial-killer-fucking-cable-tv crazy.”

“Are you quite finished?” Regina drawled. The tirade would have been more amusing if she wasn’t so tired. Lust filled? She hadn’t even noticed what the blonde was wearing until after the fact.

“No,” Tink spat, but her adrenalin was burning off. She took a few deep breaths. “The Blue Fairy did not kill baby Emma, Regina.”

“You’re right. She didn’t,” Regina admitted. “But she tried to, multiple times.”

Tink shook her head. “No. I don’t believe that.” Her shoulders twitched upwards. “She was always a condescending, know-it-all bitch, which is why I left, but she wouldn’t try to kill a baby, Regina. Blue's good.”

“When I confronted her about it, she admitted that she was trying to break the curse.”

“You confronted her?” Tink glanced at the bed. She and Regina had been on friendly terms when the brunette had been mayor, and she’d still almost gotten flambéed. Blue had never liked the vampire. Tink swallowed thickly. “Is she dead?”

“They all are.”

Tink sank down onto the bed before her legs dropped her to the floor. “They all… You killed… _all of them_?”

“You’re lucky I believed you were innocent.”

The pixie looked up at the brunette. Her green eyes burned with unshed tears. “Lucky?”

Regina’s chin came up. She supposed she underestimated the blonde fairy’s connection to her kind. “They were all working together,” she said. “They were brewing poisons when we-”

“Get out!” Tink yelled, getting back to her feet, closing the distance between them. “Leave!”

The pixie came dangerously close to pushing Regina, but given the circumstances the vampire backed up a step. She inclined her head ever so slightly to the fairy and moved towards the front door. She paused at the broken threshold. “Don’t do anything stupid, Tinkerbelle,” she warned. “There’s been enough killing today.”

“I thought you’d changed, Regina,” the fairy’s eyes were dark with fury and grief, “but you’re still a monster. You always will be.”

Back in her car, Regina sent off a quick text to Rumple declaring Tink’s innocence in the matter confirmed. The pixie’s parting words had stung, and she stared for a long minute at the apartment building. It wasn’t in her nature to apologize, and she honestly couldn’t say that she regretted her actions, but there was something there. A nagging pull that reminded her too much of her days with the master.

Her phone vibrated against the console, shaking her from her spiraling thoughts. She checked the messages and read that Zelena was checking Emma out of the hospital within the hour. They’d be at the mansion when Regina returned. Regina replied that the fairies were no longer a threat and that she was on her way to see Snow and Charming.

As she started her car, she noticed Tink watching her from a window. She waited, unwilling to back down now that she knew she was being watched. The standoff was brief as the pixie quickly retreated, the curtain left fluttering behind her. Regina dropped the car into gear and pulled away from the curb. Blue was no longer a threat, but she wondered if she’d simply removed one target from Emma’s back only to replace it with another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm heading out of town tomorrow and getting out of the house in the morning is always fun so I will probably not get a chance to post in the morning. However, as long as the laptop and the hotel internet hold up, I will be back to posting regularly by tomorrow night. 
> 
> And again, thank you so much for continuing to read! I hope you are enjoying it.


	24. Chapter 24

Despite the return of her magic and the feeding on magical beings, Regina couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this exhausted. Fatigue pulled at her, but she raised her hand and knocked on the green door of the loft. She could hear the clatter of multiple people from inside and then heavy footsteps approaching before the locks turned and the door was pulled open.

She looked down and saw wide green eyes that were so like Emma’s, staring up at her from under a mop of dark hair. “Aunt ‘Gina.”

She smiled tiredly at the boy. “Good morning, James.”

David appeared towering over his son and blinked in surprise at the sight of her. “Regina.”

“Regina?” Snow’s voice carried from behind his shoulder and then she pushed past him, pulling Regina in with a one-armed hug. “We were so worried about you!  Are you all right?”

She allowed herself to be pulled inside the loft. “I’m fine.”

“When Zelena called, I couldn’t believe it. What happened?” Snow asked, not hiding that she was giving Regina a thorough once over. “I didn’t think something like a car accident could really hurt you.”

“It…can’t. Not really.” She noticed James clinging to his father’s leg. She’d forgotten he’d be in the loft. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your morning, but we need to talk.”

“Okay, is everything all right?” Snow asked.

“Yes and no.” James was playing peek-a-boo with her now from behind the counter. A vast improvement to how he used to run away screaming every time he saw her.

“Did Ruby come back with you?”

“Ruby is staying with Zelena until wolfstime.”

“I didn’t know she and Zelena were close.” David held up a coffee mug, silently asking Regina if she wanted any. “Did everything go all right?”

The vampire considered being offended by the undercurrent of the question but the wolf was fixing her coffee. “Ruby’s fine and not the reason I’m here this morning.”

“Oh?” Snow asked, glancing at both David and the clock.

Regina glanced at the time. It wasn’t even eight o’clock and yet she had already done so much. She sighed, “You might want to call in sick to work today.”

An hour later, they were all three finally sitting down at the table with James tucked safely away at kindergarten. Regina was on her third cup of coffee and she could feel the tension in the room continually growing. She’d had all the time in the world to prepare for this conversation and yet she still didn’t know how to begin.

“Whatever it is, Regina, just say it,” Snow said finally. “Seeing you hesitate is making me extremely nervous.”

“First, let me say that this is not how I wanted this to happen.” She was stalling; she knew she was and she hated it. “It’s about Emma.”

Both wolves sat back in their chairs, the subject matter catching them completely by surprise. David glanced at Snow and cleared his throat. “What about her?”

“She’s alive.”

They stared at her; Regina held their combined gaze, imploring for them to believe her. The shock of the statement stretched silently for a minute before snapping into confusion. Snow blinked first. “I’m…I’m sorry, what?”

Regina measured David’s reaction before nodding. “Emma is alive and well. She’s eighteen years old and is set to graduate high school this weekend.”

David frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“I can appreciate that,” Regina responded, “but if you’ll bear with me, I can explain.”

Two hours later, Regina stood by herself in the upstairs portion of the loft. She had told them everything from the failed poisoning and Snow’s plan all the way through to the events of the morning leading up to her knocking on their front door. Snow had started crying about halfway through and David had looked absolutely appalled when she’d explained about the fairies. When she’d finished, she’d escaped upstairs to give them their space.

Even though she tried to tune them out, Regina could easily hear the two wolves whispering downstairs; David wasn’t entirely convinced and honestly she couldn’t blame him. Snow wanted to leave immediately to go and see Emma, but as Regina had explained, Emma didn’t know them yet. That was still a discussion waiting to be had if her text messages from Zelena were any indication.

The vampire pinched the bridge of her nose and wondered if she could lock herself in her vault for the next five years.

Snow’s footsteps on the stairs and the front door opening and closing pulled her attention. She looked over her shoulder at her step-daughter.

“Is there a potion or a spell that can give us back the memories from that night?”

“Yes,” she said, tiredly. “I just haven’t had time to make it.”

Snow nodded. “Because of wolfstime?”

Regina nodded then added, “If he’s gone to check on the fairies, he won’t find anything but an empty house. Rumple will have made sure of that.”

“I told him as much, but he needed to feel like he was doing something,” Snow admitted.

“And you?” She turned around to face the younger brunette. “Don’t you want to _do_ something?”

A faint smile pulled at Snow’s expression. “I am doing something. I’m checking on you.” She ignored the huff of disbelief. “It sounds like you’ve been through a lot the past few days. How are you?”

“I’m fine.” At Snow’s raised eye brow, she relented, “I’m tired.” Later, she would blame fatigue for loosening her tongue. “I was…surprised you didn’t have more of a reaction to the death of Blue and the others.”

“I probably wouldn’t have gone about it the same way you did,” Snow admitted then shrugged, “but had I caught Blue or any of the others red-handed, I would’ve killed them. You were more proactive about it and from the sounds of it, prevented yet another attempt on my daughter’s life. How can I object to your actions when I’m thankful for the result?”

Regina was both heartened and saddened by Snow’s response. Her step-daughter was a hero; a hero shouldn’t condone her actions. She picked up a werewolf figurine from James’ nightstand and turned it over in her hand. Maybe the wolf saw things with a more practical eye; maybe the wolf didn’t think of itself as a hero.

“Tinkerbelle said I was a monster,” she admitted quietly. “She said she’d thought I’d changed but that my actions today proved I hadn’t.”

“Regina…”

“No, it’s all right.” She held up a hand to hold off Snow’s protest. “I’ve known since my very first taste of blood, when I realized what I was drinking and yet still wanted more, I knew then that I was a monster.” She set the figurine down. “Those first few decades, I fought my nature. To my own detriment, I fought it, until one day…I couldn’t any longer. I didn’t. And for the next seventy years, I indulged. I gorged myself on blood, sex, violence, death…all the things that kept the master at bay, kept him out of my head. He thrived on my actions, and I kept him well sated.” She flashed a brittle smile at Snow, an expression without joy. “During all of those years of killing, I could, at least, partially blame him for what I did. But he played no part in what I did today. Today, I wasn’t his monster; I was my own.”

Snow crossed the room and took Regina’s hands in her own. “Maybe you are a monster,” she allowed, “but you’re a monster that protects children, protects your family, that does what is necessary.” She stroked her thumbs over the scars that ran along the older woman’s wrists. “I’m proud to call you family, Regina, and if I couldn’t be the one to raise my child, I’m honored that you did.”

Regina swallowed thickly, staring at their joined hands. “Actually, you gave Emma to Zelena to raise.”

“Please,” Snow chuckled, “I knew you’d be there every step of the way. She may have stayed in Zelena’s home, but I know you raised her.” She ducked her head a bit to try and catch Regina’s eyes. “I bet you even have pictures of Emma on your phone that you’ve been dying to show me.”

Regina felt her first real smile in days tugging at her lips as she thought of the dozens of pictures she had stored on her phone. “Maybe.”

When David came back an hour later and saw what the two women were looking at, he demanded they start over so he could see them. Regina found she didn’t mind at all as she was sandwiched on the couch by the two wolves and she started over with a picture of Emma’s third birthday.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super-size update, lots of ground to cover.

** 7 Years Later **

Emma sat on the bench looking out over the chaos spilling across the park. Her baby brother James had turned thirteen a day before, and his birthday party had his entire class of thirty adolescents all hopped up on sugar and spiking hormones. Random games of flag football and Frisbee were being played while small clusters of boys and girls cheered from the sidelines, relaxing in the typical cloud covered Maine afternoon.

Her eyes drifted across the field, closer to the makeshift endzone where several picnic tables were spread with food, drinks, and more sugary confections. Emma smiled at the now familiar site of Granny working the grill while a couple of the dwarves stood clustered around her, sipping beers and offering unnecessary advice. There were a few sets of parents and a few single parents hanging out that Emma didn’t know, but they were there to help keep an eye on the teenagers.

She paid the strangers little attention and instead focused on the group that made up her family. They were a complete mishmash of characters that despite having lived with the knowledge for seven years, Emma still found hard to believe on occasion. Snow White and Prince Charming were her parents and also werewolves. The Wicked Witch of the West and The Evil Queen, who were half-sisters, were a powerful sorceress and a magical vampire who raised her. As if that wasn’t enough, close friends of the family included Little Red Riding Hood and her granny, the seven dwarves, Captain Hook, and Robin Hood.

Robin Hood, an immortal of some sort, was a more recent addition to the family. Killian had brought Robin with him to New York two years earlier for a visit. Sparks had flown between Robin and Regina when they’d met, both literally and figuratively. Apparently, their paths had crossed a time or two during Regina’s Evil Queen days and the meetings had not been cordial. But if the thief’s hand resting comfortably against the small of Regina’s back was any indication, the two former enemies had resolved their differences.

As if sensing the attention, Regina turned, lowering her dark sunglasses, her gaze easily finding Emma’s. She raised an eyebrow and Emma smiled in return. She was fine, no need to worry. Her aunt held her gaze for another moment before flicking upwards, past Emma’s shoulder. The blonde looked up in time to see Ruby stepping around the bench, carrying two red solo cups in her hands and offering Emma one of the drinks.

Emma accepted the drink, but then gave it a sniff. The long-legged brunette sank onto the bench beside her. “It’s cider, the non-alcoholic version.”

The blonde relaxed and sipped the beverage. She’d just reached her second year mark of being sober only a week earlier, she’d hate to mess it up by having an accidental drink at a kid’s birthday party. “Thanks.”

Ruby shrugged and eyed the group Emma had been watching. “Is it true that Hook is giving you sword fighting lessons?”

“Yeah, him and Regina.” Emma laughed. “I would have never thought the prim and proper Queen could wield a sword like she does, but when those two duel, sparks fly. Literally.”

“I’d like to see that,” Ruby said, smiling. She relaxed back against the bench. “So, what are you doing, sitting over here by yourself?”

“Just thinking.”

The wolf raised an eyebrow. “That’s rarely a good thing.”

“No, it is this time.” Emma cradled her drink in her lap. “I was just taking a moment to appreciate the utter madness that is my life…and how I almost threw it all away.”

Ruby sipped her drink, avoiding offering any sort of comment.

Emma chuckled, recognizing the evasion for what it was. “It’s okay, Rubes. I know I was stupid.”

“Well, just remember you said it, not me.” The wolf grinned at the blonde but then admitted, “It is a lot to take in, all of us.”

_That_ was the understatement of the decade.

At age eighteen, coming off the loss of a friend in a horrible accident, Emma had not taken the news of her new altered reality well. It had been all right at first, Regina and Zelena explaining the circumstances of their worlds and this one. They’d finally, given the circumstances, had plausible reasons for why neither of them ever aged. She’d spent most of the summer after high school in the town of Storybrooke, meeting her parents, and learning even more about others like Ruby. Regina had even started teaching her how to control her magic which was possibly the biggest revelation of the new life she was to lead.

It had all been one big adventure that was fascinating, overwhelming, and entirely too much for Emma to actually handle. She’d started college in the fall; her parents had helped her move into the dorm, finally getting to experience one of their daughter’s milestones. But it was Regina the school had notified when Emma’s grades started slipping, and it was Regina who got the call during the second semester after Emma stopped showing up to class.

It had been difficult for Zelena or Regina to chastise Emma for any sort of bad behavior given their pasts, and when Snow had tried, Emma had shut her down fast with a few choice comments regarding a lack of parenting. She’d hated living the double life, all the secrecy and hiding her magic, lying about her family, and pretending everything was normal when on the weekends she was tossing fireballs with her bare hands. The more she accepted the magical side of her life the less interested she’d become in her classes. What had been the point of studying literature or history or trying to believe any of that mattered in the slightest when her mother was a werewolf and her aunt/step-grandmother was a vampire? 

Zelena had been the one to suggest taking a trip, getting away from New York and everything for a while to clear her head. Zelena had meant going to Oz for a few months, but Emma much preferred Europe. If you had the money, which she did thanks to her aunt, and you hooked up with the right people, the party scene was unparalleled. For two years, Emma had smoked, drank, shot-up, and partied her way across every country that wasn’t part of the Americas, getting the best high she could find everywhere she went. She’d become legendary with her ability to take two hits of ecstasy and be completely normal within an hour or drink an entire company of Russian soldiers under the table.

And then she’d run into Killian Jones.

_He was drinking in a pub, belting out a raunchy Irish ballad and immediately captivating her interest as soon as she walked inside. The handsome stranger with blue eyes, dark hair, and devilish grin drew her to his table and eventually onto his lap. They drank themselves well through a dozen pitchers of beer and both of their shirts were more off than on when Killian suggested they retire to his room. A rousing cheer went up from the pub as they climbed the stairs together._

_They were barely across the room’s threshold when she had his belt unbuckled and was about to drop his pants to his knees. He surprised her when he gripped her by the ass and pulled her against his chest. His mouth was leaving a trail of hot kisses down her neck, when he pulled away and stroked his thumb along her jaw._

_“Before we go any further, love, how about you tell me your name?”_

_Emma slowly lowered the zipper on his pants. “What fun would that be?”_

_“A man likes to know,” he said, flicking open the button of her jeans, “before he puts a woman on her back.”_

_“That hasn’t been my experience.” She slipped her hand inside his pants._

_“Then you haven’t been with a real man.” He caught her wrist in his hand, keeping it from going any further. “What’s your name, lass?”_

_“Emma.” She leaned in and kissed his neck. “Emma Swan.”_

_Killian pushed her away hard enough that she stumbled backwards onto the bed; his color paled about fifty shades as he retreated to the opposite side of the room._

_“What the actual fuck?” she demanded, standing up from the bed. “What is your problem?”_

_“Your name is Emma Swan?” he demanded._

_“Yeah.”_

_“From New York?”_

_She frowned, unable to remember if she’d told him that. “Yeah, so what?”_

_He pointed at her with his good hand. “Your aunt is Regina Mills!”_

_It was Emma’s turn to pale. “Who are you?”_

_“Killian Jones,” he spat._

_Emma was confused, and she eyed him more carefully. “I thought you were older, like way older.”_

_“And I thought you were younger,” he snapped back and began quickly doing up his pants._

_“But I've heard your name...you’ve been friends with my aunt since I was a child!” Then it dawned on her. “Oh shit! You’re like them!”_

_Killian was pacing the floor. “I knew I smelled magic on you.” He glared at her. “What the hell are you doing here? Do you have any idea how close we were to…” He gestured towards the bed and then resumed pacing. “Regina is going to kill me for this.”_

_“Oh, no, now wait a minute,” Emma tried, closing half the distance between them until he glared at her again. “Why does she have to know? Nothing happened.”_

_“I almost fed off you, child!”_

_“I’m not a child.”_

_“And what are you even doing in a place like this?”_

_“You know what, just forget about it, all right. You go your way and I’ll go mine. We never have to talk about this ever again.” She fixed her shirt and pants, heading for the door._

_With inhuman speed, Killian blocked her exit. “Sit down, Swan.” He nudged her backwards with his prosthetic hand. “I’ve lived a very long time, and I haven’t done that by being stupid. You aren’t going anywhere until I get the all clear from your aunt.”_

His call had effectively ended a communications blackout she’d had with her family for the past six months. At Regina’s request, Killian had even boarded a plane with the young blonde and brought her back to New York. She’d tried once at the beginning to threaten Killian by suggesting she would claim that he was kidnapping her, but the same demon she’d seen rise in Regina’s eyes on occasion did so in his and she’d backed off.

Upon arriving in New York, Emma Swan had kicked off her American tour of drinking, drugs, and partying. They could make her come home, but they couldn’t make her behave. More than once, one or both of her aunts had found themselves arriving at the local jail, bailing her out for assorted misdemeanor offenses that usually started with the word drunk and ended with the word disorderly. Each time they’d tried to talk to her, but she’d blown them off, suggesting they take a long, hard look in the mirror at their crimes compared to hers. So she partied a little, she wasn’t out slaughtering entire villages. Regina hadn’t spoken to her for a month after that comment.

She’d been back in New York for a little over a year when she finally hit rock bottom.

_Waking up after a night out partying was usually not an issue for Emma. She had a freaking magical constitution. Literally. But something was different this time because she hurt. Her stomach hurt, her throat was sore, and the taste in her mouth was bad enough to make her nauseous. Her head was pounding and when she tried to roll away from the brightness beyond her eyelids, she heard a metal clink and felt a pull against her wrist._

_She knew that sensation. “Fuck,” she drawled, finally prying her eyes open and confirming that she was indeed handcuffed to the bed rail. It was only then that she realized she was in a hospital bed, an IV taped down to the back of her hand, and the clothes she’d been wearing mysteriously gone. “Oh, this is so fucked up.”_

_“I couldn’t agree more.”_

_Emma felt her blood run cold and slowly raised her eyes to the chair situated in the corner of the room. She swallowed and tried not to choke on the foul taste in her mouth. “R-Regina?”_

_The vampire simply arched an eyebrow. The dark brown eyes that usually held a hint of warmth in them no matter how badly Emma screwed up were black as coal. She was seated in the corner, partially in shadow, and now that Emma was awake she was shocked she hadn’t felt her aunt’s presence sooner. The energy in the room was almost tangible with Regina’s fury._

_Emma opened her mouth to apologize, but Regina held up one finger in warning. “Don’t.”_

_The old familiar spark of resentment that Emma felt burning in her gut ever since that day she’d been told magic existed and that fairy tales were real ignited in her gut. It made her reckless. She rolled her eyes and laid back on the bed. “Whatever.”_

_The handcuff on her wrist clinked again and she thought about freeing herself, but when she reached for her magic, it wasn’t there. She blinked and tried again but all she felt was a slight twist of her gut. She growled and sat back up, eyeing the brunette. “What did you do?”_

_Regina watched her, appearing calm and indifferent. “Whatever do you mean, dear?”_

_“My magic…it’s gone!” Emma snapped. “You did something to it, didn’t you? Some spell or shit.”_

_“Oh no, dear. I haven’t done anything,” she replied. “Your magic is gone because you depleted it.”_

_Emma didn’t even know that was possible. “Bullshit.”_

_Before she realized what was happening, the vampire’s hand was wrapped around her throat and had her pinned down to the bed with a single move. Emma was forced to look up into the furious eyes of her aunt, towering over her, and allowing the demon to rise full bore into her eyes. Survival instinct kicked in and Emma tried to squirm away, her hand yanking at the cuff on it, her legs tangling in the sheets as they tried to find purchase. Regina pinned her free arm down by her side effortlessly and leaned in even closer._

_“I’ve killed a lot of people over the years, Emma. I’ve killed them in ways you can’t even imagine.”_

_Emma trembled. She could hear the slight hiss in Regina’s tone which meant her fangs were descended and dangerously close to her exposed neck._

_“Your magic has kept you alive these past few years, but you’ve relied on it so heavily that now it’s gone,” Regina continued to whisper in her deadly tone. “You’re vulnerable. You’re weak.” She leaned back just enough to look in Emma’s eyes. “Tell me, Emma, is death truly what you seek? Because if so, I can oblige you in truly terrible ways.”_

_The blonde tried shaking her head, felt tears escape from the corners of her eyes. “N-no, Regina, I’m s-sorr-”_

_“Do not apologize again.” Regina tightened her grip, cutting off the apology. “You’re not remorseful; you’re scared, and I don’t want to hear it.” She straightened and took her hand off Emma’s neck. “If you are going to insist on killing yourself, there are much better ways to go about it than drugs.”_

_As soon as she was free, Emma reached for her throat, rubbing it as though that would calm the fear churning in her gut. “I wasn’t trying to kill myself.”_

_“Then what were you trying to do?” Regina bit out the words, her hands in fists at her side._

_“I-I don’t know.” Emma shrugged and tried to readjust herself on the bed. “I was just having a good time.”_

_The blackness hadn’t faded completely from Regina’s eyes. “A good time?” she repeated. “Do you even know how you got here? Why_ I’m _here?”_

_Emma didn’t. Memories of the past week were a haze of partying, alcohol, and drugs. She looked away from her aunt._

_“Answer me, Emma.”_

_“No,” she muttered finally._

_Regina couldn’t look at her anymore. She turned and paced towards the window, one hand on her back and the other worrying her chin. “You were found in a hotel bath tub. You were unresponsive, covered in your own vomit. Your so-called friends abandoned you there and hung a do-not-disturb sign on the door.” The vampire welcomed the sun shining on her face, the pain that throbbed in her eyes brought clarity. “The hotel maids found you a day later when you didn’t check out. The paramedics were shocked you were still alive. The doctors that contacted me told me not to hold out hope that you would ever wake up. That was three days ago.”_

_Three days? Fuck. “So, uhm,” Emma cleared her throat, “did you wake me? You know, like you did before, with magic?”_

_“No."_

_“Oh.” She swallowed. “Did you even try?”_

_Regina shook her head. “No.”_

_That was a punch to the gut that Emma hadn’t been expecting. More tears fell as she cast about for something, anything else to say. “Where’s Z?”_

_“At home.”_

_“What about my parents?” she asked. “Do they know?”_

_“Yes.”_

_But clearly, the only person that was here was Regina._

_Emma sniffed. “So that’s it then? You were just going to let me die? All of you?”_

_“It seemed like what you wanted.”_

_“That’s not what I wanted,” she said, exasperated. “It was an accident.”_

_Regina turned away from the window and eyed her, the blackness had finally faded away leaving only concerned brown eyes that showed far more hurt than they ever had before. “Are you sure?”_

_“I do not want to die, Regina.”_

_“Then it has to stop,” she said simply. “All of it. The drinking, the partying, the drugs.”_

_“Yeah, I know,” Emma agreed easily. “It will. I promise.”_

_Regina continued to regard her for several minutes before she shook her head slightly. “I wish I believed you.” She moved away from the window, towards her things. “Now that you're awake, the police have a few questions for you regarding the drugs that were found in your hotel room.”_

_“Wait! What?” Emma jerked at the handcuff as Regina slipped her coat on. “Where are you going?”_

_“If they offer you rehab, you should accept it.”_

_Emma watched in disbelief as her aunt picked up her purse and headed for the door. “So, that’s it then? You’re just going to walk away?” She hated the tears that were running down her face. “You really hate me that much?”_

_Regina paused at the door and looked back over her shoulder. “I don’t hate you, Emma. I could_ never _hate you. I love you with all my heart, but I am disappointed in you.”_

Thankfully, Regina hadn’t given up on her. The brunette had shown up to the courthouse when Emma had entered her plea of guilty and accepted the deal that gave her six months of rehab followed by six months supervised release and a shit ton of community service. Regina had been the one to pick her up when the rehab was complete and had also accompanied her to her first AA meeting. She’d even allowed Emma to move into the penthouse for her supervised release and helped her get started with her community service.

The so-called friends that had left her for dead had been dumb enough to show up one day, trying to get Emma to come out, claiming how boring it was without her. Regina had allowed her to handle it, but when the friends had never come around again and rumors suggested they had even left New York, Emma suspected Regina had had something to do with that as well. When she’d asked Javier if he knew anything about it, he had just shrugged and said that some things were better left unknown.

Emma’s magic had slowly returned while she was in rehab, but she’d waited until she’d been clean for a year before asking Regina to begin giving her lessons again. Regina had agreed and a week later they’d tried having a light duel to warm up. The vampire had knocked Emma on her butt with ease. When she’d offered the blonde a hand up and muttered that Emma was an idiot for not blocking a simple spell, Emma felt like she had finally come home.

“So,” Ruby said, interrupting her thoughts and bringing her back to the present, to the park and her brother’s birthday party. “You hungry?”

“I could eat.” Emma laughed and finished off her cider. Everyone knew she was always hungry. “And then, I think you and I should show these kids a thing or two about how to really play football.”

The brunette grinned, her wolf dancing at the prospect. “You’re on, Swan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was a little cautious about this chapter, but ultimately felt that the Emma we know and love has to have some sort of hardship/conflict in her past to be the character we love. Since she had a pretty happy childhood in this story, all things considered, I had to give her something else in her past to overcome. 
> 
> If you've come this far, thank you so much for continuing to read!


	26. Chapter 26

** 3 years later **

Emma poured herself a glass of cider from the decanter that Regina kept on hand specifically for her. “I don’t understand how a person that doesn’t even eat regular food can cook a meal like that.”

“I _learned_ ,” Regina said and sipped her wine. “You spent a lot of time here as a child. If I hadn’t learned, you would’ve starved.”

“It’s called takeout, dear,” Zelena argued, “or delivery service.”

The brunette rolled her eyes. “Please. Those options aren’t nutritious.”

Emma slouched onto the love seat next to the redhead. “So, before I came along, did you even keep food in the house?”

“Only coffee,” Robin answered with a chuckle. “Javier told me that the first few years he worked for Regina, he literally thought she lived off the stuff as it was the only thing he ever saw her eat or drink.”

“And now?”

“Now it isn’t an issue since I regularly keep food in the house.”

“Does he really not know what you are?” Zelena asked. “After all these years?”

“It’s not something we discuss,” Regina said tightly.

“He’s worked for you for thirty years! Surely, he’s noticed that when he started he was younger than you.”

Robin and Emma exchanged a look and both wisely decided to sip their drinks silently. Reminding Regina of her age was never a good idea.

But then Emma couldn’t help herself. “I’ve always wondered about that,” she said, looking to Zelena. “Claude has literally watched me grow up, and yet you haven’t aged a day. What does he think?”

“He knows I’m a witch, and that I use magic to keep myself young.” Zelena waved her off. “We hashed all that out years before you were born.”

Emma was floored. “Is that why he always told me there are some things you simply don’t question?” So many things from her childhood suddenly made much more sense. “Wait, did you break the chandelier that one time?”

Regina raised an eyebrow. “What’s this?”

“Yes,” Zelena huffed, “I broke the chandelier.” She pointed at Emma over the rim of her glass. “I also repaired the chandelier, thank you very much.”

“Was this right after the Christmas party when Emma was five?” Regina asked, a smirk already pulling at her mouth. Zelena glared at her sister.

“What happened to the chandelier?” Robin asked.

“It fell,” Emma said. “Just snapped right off the beam and shattered all over the foyer. Claude wouldn’t let me come down until the morning so he could clean up all the glass.” She eyed the witch curiously. “But when I came down in the morning, it was back up where it was supposed to be like nothing had ever happened.”

The two sisters were locked in a complete stare down. Regina appeared as close to bursting out laughing as Emma had ever seen her, and Zelena looked like she was about to set the room aflame.

“You said you were never going to play it again,” Regina finally managed. “You said it was an infernal machine with rigged games.”

“If you could play it without having that damn dog laughing at you, then so could I!”

“It was a child’s video game.” Regina lost the battle against her laughter, shocking Emma and thoroughly amusing Robin.

“Wait, is that why I never got the Nintendo that I asked for?” Emma asked.

Zelena glared at her sister and huffed. “It was too violent for you. You didn’t need to be hooked on a video game at such a young age.”

“Z was just too busy hogging the controller,” Regina laughed again. “Every time she got mad at the game something shattered.”

"I never liked guns anyway," Zelena sniffed.

The grandfather clock in the corner of the room chimed and Emma checked the time. “As enlightening as this has been, I’ve got to go to work.”

She took a moment to finish off her glass of cider and allow Regina time to fuss. The brunette didn’t disappoint with a grumbled, “You know I hate that job of yours.”

“But I’m so good at it,” she argued half-heartedly as she returned her glass to the tray on the cabinet. Zelena had once suggested it was the wolf blood running through her veins that made her such a good hunter of men; Regina had claimed it was her magic. She didn’t know which it was; she just knew she was good at finding people that didn’t want to be found. _Really_ good.

“Historically speaking, shouldn’t you find another line of work?” Robin asked. “I mean, all of your family at one time or another has been hunted. It seems rather dishonorable of you to now be the one doing the hunting.”

“Just be glad it wasn’t me hunting you all those years, Robin. You never would have had time to become such a legend if I’d been after you.” Emma winked at him and leaned over the back of the loveseat, giving Zelena a kiss on the cheek. “Good night, Z.”

Zelena reached one hand back and squeezed her shoulder. “Be safe, pup.”

Regina stood up and embraced the blonde before walking with her to the door. Emma reached into the closet by the front door and pulled out her red leather jacket. “Thank you for dinner, Regina. It was delicious.”

“It was my pleasure.” She waited until Emma turned around before reaching out and straightening the jacket’s collar. She shook her head at the blonde’s choice of apparel. “Idiot.”

Emma grinned and kissed the brunette on the cheek. “You know you like it.”

Regina hummed a note of disapproval. “If you get into any trouble…”

“I’ll call,” Emma promised before opening the door and heading out into the New York night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

_Idiot._

The thought floated through her mind as her lungs burned for oxygen. It was a term that had been used to describe Emma Swan many, many times over the years. Always said with a bit of snark, more than a hint of exasperation, and a lot of love. It was usually said when she had done something incredibly stupid. She’d learned to love hearing that particular term of endearment since it meant she had already been forgiven and that whatever dumb thing she’d done hadn’t proven to be a mortal mistake.

Tonight, unfortunately, she knew she would not be hearing that particular affection. She understood that she’d finally committed the stupid mistake that would kill her, and everything changed in the blink of an eye.

_The night started off well. She had dinner at her aunt’s place before leaving for work, and her information had been good. She went to the bar and only had to fend off two unwanted passes before her bail jumper showed up. As he made his way to the bar, she did the same, sidling up next to him as he ordered his drink. He noticed her immediately, gave her body the once over, gauged her interest in him, and to his credit – bolted for the door._

_Swearing, she ran after him and chased him right into Central Park. As they both sprinted down mostly empty sidewalks, she was thrilled she hadn’t gone with the dress option for the night. In her jeans and boots, she could keep up the pace for another half hour; she doubted he could. He may have been fast, but a marathon run is not what he’d been planning on for the evening. After only a few minutes, she was gaining on him._

_“Walsh!”_

_Unexpectedly, he stopped when she called his name, and she allowed her momentum to carry her right into him, tackling him to the ground. The force of her impact drove the knife he held in his hand straight into her chest. The moment stretched out for eternity as she laid on top of him; their expressions of shocked horror strangely mirroring each other._

_He blinked._

“Sorry.”

Her world flipped, and she felt his hand release the hilt that was still protruding from her chest. Walsh hadn’t been a violent offender; he’d been a white collar kind of criminal. Not exactly the most dangerous type she’d ever had to pursue. And yet, her surprise was quickly being replaced with pain. Fire hot tendrils were spreading outwards from her chest as she felt the front of her shirt dampening against her skin. She swallowed, tried to breathe and caused an explosion of agony in her chest. The arm she’d been holding herself up with buckled; the blade knicked and cut precious organs as she slumped against the man below her.

She was unmoving dead weight against him as he slithered from beneath her, pushing her off and onto her side. His brown leather shoes that probably cost more than her car payment were the only thing she could focus on as they appeared right in front of her face. She wanted to breathe; she tried desperately but she felt like a fish gasping on dry land.

And then he did the second unexpected thing of the evening. He moved behind her, hooked his hands under her arms, and tried to lift her. She cried out as muscles and bone stretched and scratched against the blade lodged in her chest. For a moment, a brief wonderful moment, she thought he was trying to help her. He hadn’t meant to stab her and now he was trying to get her to the medical help she so desperately needed.

But this wasn’t a fairy tale with a hero that always wins and gets a happy ending, this was New York. Her villain wasn’t lifting her up to carry her to safety in a moment of profound regret and good conscience; he was dragging her towards certain death. He was hiding her behind bushes, concealing her body away from the casual passer-by. She tried to protest. If he wasn’t going to help her, at least let her be found, but his hand over her mouth stifled whatever small noise she managed to make.

He kept it there, a sweaty, trembling grip mashing her lips against her teeth as his other hand reached for the knife. He closed his eyes just before he jerked the blade free from her body. She screamed, a guttural muted noise that was trapped in her throat as he held her still.

“It was nothing personal, Emma,” he said, wiping off the blade on her jeans. “Just business.”

He knew her name. A completely different chill swept over her as she watched him tuck the knife away inside his jacket. This was no accident; he’d been sent to kill her.

“W-why?” she choked out, tasting copper in her mouth.

He straightened his tie and looked down at her, his eyes briefly flashing red before he casually stepped over her. “Because it’s what he wanted.”

She’d been told stories all her life about heroes and villains, and when she’d gotten older she’d learned people had been trying to kill her since the day she was born. Between her genetics, her magic, and her death defying infancy, she’d always considered herself on the side of the good guys. With the people she knew and was related to, she placed herself on the side that in the old stories always won.

It seemed this time though that fate had other plans for her.

Emma gulped back a sob. She was twenty-eight years old, and she was going to die as some random homicide statistic in Central Park. She felt a hot tear roll across her cheek, and she swore at herself. This was not how her story was going to end. She tried to reach for her magic, but all she found was the cold sensation that was spreading out from her chest.

All the green leaves around her and the night sky began to swirl into nothingness, but she really didn’t want to die. She’d told her aunt that once before, and just before she lost consciousness she did what she promised. She called out.

“Regina.”


	27. Chapter 27

_"Regina."_

The fine crystal glass shattered beneath the vampire’s hand.

“Regina!” Zelena cried, jumping to her feet as Robin did the same both trying to avoid the splattering red wine and sharp shards. Magic thickened the air and Zelena looked around as though she’d be able to see it. “What is it? What’s happened?”

“Emma.” Regina pushed herself up from the couch, eyes wild, searching for something she couldn’t see. She frowned. “Robin. Get the car, bring it around to the park. Z, take us there. Now!”

Robin, a man of action, didn’t ask questions; he simply left. But it wasn’t quite that simple for the witch even as she felt her sister grab hold of her forearms for support. “Take us where exactly?”

“Central Park,” Regina spat out as though it were obvious. “Take us there. Now.”

The answer wasn’t helpful. The park was huge and if Emma was in trouble, she could be anywhere. Not to mention, there would be other people in the park as well. Simply appearing out of thin air was not the best plan.

“Zelena!”

“Fine.” She imagined the low arch of the stone bridge she favored and concentrated on them appearing in the shadows beneath it. Within seconds the night air hit them and luckily they seemed to be alone. “Now what?”

Regina had her eyes closed as she concentrated on trying to find Emma. They were close but not close enough. She pointed off to the west. “That way. We need to go closer over there.”

Zelena tried to orient herself as to where they were and to something she knew in the direction her sister indicated. Getting an idea, she grabbed Regina’s arm and moved them again. Regina grimaced and grabbed at her chest as soon as they reappeared. “She’s close.”

The witch stepped out from the shadows of the art sculpture and onto the trail that snaked through the wooded area. She couldn’t see or hear anyone in their vicinity. “Emma?” she called then looked back to her sister. “Are you sure she’s here?”

Regina nodded shakily.

“All right, then,” Zelena said, readying her magic. “Brace yourself.”

She heard the vampire at her side grunt as the witch sent out a magical pulse in all directions. It reverberated across every living thing as it spread further out, and the witch felt over a dozen magical creatures within the park. Three were close; two moving closer and one not moving at all. She pointed towards a bend in the trail about thirty feet away. “There.”

They moved towards it, and she heard Regina suck in a breath. “Her blood is on the trail.” The vampire knelt down, running her fingers over a dark stain before inhaling deeply as she scanned the surrounding foliage. “Emma!”

Zelena hurried to keep up as her sister lunged forwards, striding off the trail and into the trees and bushes. In her haste, she almost tripped over the blonde’s legs.

“Emma!” Regina fell to her knees beside the young woman. “Emma, we’re here.” She tapped the younger woman’s face. “Emma, come on. Emma, please.”

The witch gasped at the limp body and blood stained torso. She spoke around the hand she hadn’t realized she had pressed against her mouth. “Is she…”

The brunette shook her head as she cradled Emma to her. “No, but she’s close.”

In more than one hundred fifty years of either watching her sister or living with her, Zelena had never once seen Regina so shaken. The vampire appeared close to tears. Regina moved a trembling hand to cover the wound, and Zelena shook herself out of her stupor. “Regina, no!” She knelt beside the two people she loved most in the world, her magic stretching out to hold her sister back. “You know you can’t heal her. You’ll only hurt yourself.”

Red eyes flared at her. “Don’t tell me what I can’t do!”

“She’s right, dearie,” a male voice said. “Magic can’t save her now.”

Both sisters’ heads whipped around. Regina growled, “ _You_ did this!”

The slight man shook his head as he limped forward. “No, I’m afraid my position regarding Miss Swan hasn’t changed.” He felt the energy above Emma with the palm of his hand. “I have nothing to gain from her death.”

Zelena stared at the so-called man; the dark power radiating off him gave away his identity. “Rumplestiltskin.”

He nodded.

“Help her,” Regina pleaded, readjusting Emma in her arms. “I’ll make any deal you want.”

“Regina!”

Rumple shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t. The blade that stabbed her was cursed. She can’t be saved by magic. Even if we could stop the curse, the wound is fatal.” He seemed genuinely saddened. “There’s only one thing I can think of that might save her.”

“What?” Regina snapped. “Tell me what can save her!”

“You.”

Zelena recoiled at the implication, understanding immediately what he meant. It even made sense. A curse could be broken by an equally powerful and ancient curse.

“This is no time for your games, Imp!” Regina shouted, her grief refusing to yield to knowledge.

“It’s not a game,” Rumple said calmly. “Your blood, Regina. It’s the only thing that will give Miss Swan a chance.”

A beat of understanding hit the brunette. “No…”

He pushed through her denial. “The vampire’s curse is one of the oldest spells ever cast into existence. It has evolved beyond magic, beyond time, beyond mortal wounds. It will be enough to save her.” He glanced down at the blonde. “I will...respect your decision, whatever you decide.”

And with that, he disappeared, leaving the two sisters staring at each other.

“I…can’t.” Regina shook her head. “It’s the one line…I haven’t crossed. I can’t do it, Zelena…”

The redhead swallowed thickly. “I know.” She smoothed her hand over Emma’s head, noticing the ends of the blonde hair were stained with blood. “And it’s okay.” She would support her sister’s decision; it was breaking her heart, but she would support her. She even understood it. “Emma would understand.”

“Would she?” Regina asked brokenly, misunderstanding her sister’s intended meaning. “She’s never asked me for it. In all these years, even now when she’s physically older than me, she’s never once…and now I’m just supposed to decide for her?!”

Zelena felt her own tears running unchecked down her cheeks. “I can’t make this decision for you, sister. I can’t make it for Emma either.” She leaned down and kissed Emma’s forehead, felt how cold it was and wondered if the decision had already been made for them. “But you need to decide quickly.” She saw tear streaks on the blonde’s pale cheeks. “Emma loved life, and we were lucky to have had her in ours even if it was for only a brief moment.”

The witch slowly got to her feet and withdrew back to the trail, giving her sister privacy. She pulled her phone from her pocket to call Robin and let the poor man know what part of the park they were in. He said he’d be back around in ten minutes. She ended the call before she had to explain whether Emma was alive or dead. 

A scream of pain and anguish that had been heard on Enchanted battlefields for seventy years shattered the evening air and briefly silenced the noise of the New York night. Zelena bowed her head and waited. There was nothing left to do. 


	28. Chapter 28

Regina absently stroked her fingers through the blonde hair that was spread across her lap. Emma was laid on her side across the limo’s long bench seat, eyes still tightly closed. She groaned, her entire body briefly curling in on itself.

“Shhhh,” Regina soothed her, rubbing her hand along the blonde's back, and keeping the younger woman from falling off the seat.

They were hurtling at insanely high rates of speed down dark winding roads, racing for Storybrooke before Emma woke. The limo had been the one concession to time and comfort that Regina had been willing to make and only once Robin had assured her he could drive it just as well as any car. She’d wanted Emma to be as comfortable as possible for the drive which Robin would probably complete in under five hours.

She’d only given Emma enough of her blood to stay alive. It was all she had dared once she had made her decision. Once they were in the safety of her vault, she would let Emma feed from her. The process would be neither easy or painless. She just hoped Emma would forgive her.

Zelena sipped from a bottle of water as she watched the blonde and the brunette. She’d honestly not known how her sister had chosen until Robin had arrived to pick them up and she’d heard the young woman groan. Despite four plus hours in a car together, Regina still hadn’t shown any signs of being willing to talk about it yet. Zelena knew when to push her sister and when it was best for all concerned to leave her be, this situation was definitely the latter.

From the front seat, Robin cleared his throat. “Uhm, I think we may have a problem up ahead.”

“What is it?” The car began to slow, and Zelena leaned forward so she could see out the front.

Regina didn’t need to look. “The wolf pack.”  

“Oh.” Zelena could see them. A line of eight wolves stretched across the road just in front of the town sign. They didn’t move as the car came to a complete stop. “How did they even know?”

“I called them,” the vampire answered simply.

Robin shifted in his seat so he could look back at Regina. “Now what?”

“Turn off your headlights. You’re probably blinding them.” She saw him move quickly, wincing as he realized she was right. “Let me know when Snow steps forward.”

She hated to move, had hoped this discussion could take place once they’d reached her vault, but had known it wasn’t likely that Snow would wait. With a gentle firmness, she lifted Emma’s head from her lap and slid out from beneath the blonde.

“One of the wolves has left the line and is walking closer.”

Regina nodded. Only the Alpha would leave the pack. She looked meaningfully at her sister. “Stay with Emma. I doubt the pack will try anything, but…”

“Oh.” Zelena’s eyes widened. “Got it.”

The large, grey and white wolf paced along the roadside when Regina stepped out of the car. It growled at the vampire. The brunette sighed and magicked a long cloak into her hand and held it out towards the wolf. “I refuse to have a one-sided conversation about this.”

The wolf bared its teeth at her before sitting down. Regina averted her eyes and within a minute felt the cloak taken from her hand.

“I want to see her.”

Snow moved to step past her step-mother, but Regina caught her upper arm. “There’s a lot of blood.”

“Is that why you couldn’t resist?” the wolf snapped.

Regina’s eyes flashed a warning. “You know me better than that.”

The wolf’s eyes softened to green and Snow looked down at the hand on her arm; Regina released her and she eased her way into the car. Regina waited for her on the side of the road. The night air was refreshing after the cloying smell of blood in the car. She heard one of the wolves whine and knew it was Ruby without even looking. She appreciated the support, but the young brunette would have to wait.

“I don’t scent you on her,” Snow said, getting back out of the car.

“We needed to be away from the city before I allow her to feed,” Regina explained. “The change is a violent process.”

Snow was pacing, much as her wolf had. “And there was no other choice?”

“No.”

“And you’re sure she would have died?”

“Yes.”

“What about healing her? You’ve done that in the past. Why couldn’t you have done that this time?”

“Because it would have killed Regina, and Emma would have died anyway,” Zelena snapped, poking her head outside the car, clearly eavesdropping on the conversation and having heard enough.

“Z,” Regina warned.

The witch ignored her, focusing on Snow. “She can’t heal Emma. You know that, Snow. And even if she could, she wouldn’t have been able to this time.”

Snow frowned. “Why not?”

“It was a cursed blade meant to block Emma’s magic and anyone else’s,” Regina explained.

The alpha’s eyes widened. “This was deliberate?”

“Apparently.” Regina nodded. “I’ve already spoken with the city’s pack and asked them to scent out the area.”

“You did?” The wolf and the witch asked at the same time.

“Yes, they’ll call if they find anything.”

Zelena was impressed and with a pointed look from Regina, disappeared back inside the car. Snow had her arms wrapped around her middle as she stared at the ground. Regina gave her to the count of fifty before clearing her throat. “We should really-”

“I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve saved Emma’s life,” Snow blurted out, finally looking up from the ground. The wolf and anger were gone from her tone, leaving only sadness. “What happens if you don’t let her feed anymore from you?”

“It doesn’t work that way, Snow. It’s not reversible.” She shook her head. “I won’t do that to her.”

“But what would happen?”

“At best, she would remain as she is now, on the brink of consciousness and in constant pain.” Regina’s temper flared at the very idea. “At worst, she would wake up, regain full health, and be completely under my thrall. A mindless drone devoted to me without a single independent thought of her own.” She closed the distance between them, challenging the wolf to doubt her again. “Is that _really_ what you want?”

Snow’s chin came up but she kept her wolf down. “No. That’s not the life I would ever want for my daughter.”

“Then we are agreed.” She took a calming breath and stepped back. “I won’t apologize for saving her life, Snow.”

“I don’t want you to,” she said quickly. “I just wish…”

Regina understood. “As do I.” She paused. “I need to finish what I started. Will the wolves let us pass?”

They both knew she was going with or without the wolves’ permission, but Snow gave her formal consent. “Where will you take her?”

She considered not telling her, knowing she’d have wolves surrounding the cemetery for the entire time, but they’d probably find out anyway. “My vault.”

Snow nodded. “And you’ll stay with her?”

“I’ll be close. I’ll approach her when there are breaks in the cycle; when it’s safe for both her and myself,” she explained. “I assume you’ll be nearby.”

“Will that be a problem?”

“Not as long as you stay out of the vault. No matter what you might hear.”

Snow swallowed but nodded. “We will.”

They held each other’s gaze for a long minute before Snow inclined her head and moved aside, letting Regina approach the open car door. She caught Regina’s hand just before she ducked inside the car. “Thank you, Regina. I know this wasn’t easy for you.”

Regina paused. “I never wanted this for her.”

Snow squeezed her hand. “I know.”

Regina got in the car and checked Emma’s condition, brushing back fallen hair. The younger woman winced at the lightest touch. “Hold on, Emma.”

As the car started to move forward again, a chorus of wolf howls escorted them across the town line.


	29. Chapter 29

_She pushed herself along the walls, her legs barely supporting her, but it was important to stay upright. It was better. She could almost pretend she didn’t smell the blood as long as she remained standing._

_Two steps, almost three, the tatters of her dress rustled across the stone floor. The man on the floor in the opposite corner groaned in pain, his blood continually seeping out despite the limp hand he kept pressed against the wound._

_Regina leaned her head against the wall, the damp stone cool against her skin. The thirst raged in her throat, fire scorching the desert as she swallows more sand. She’s never wanted anything more than to fall on the man at her feet and drink every last drop of his blood. She eyed him, the wet dark stain across his belly, his pale skin; he would offer no resistance. His hair tickled her chin. Saliva pooled in her mouth…_

_“No!” She pulled herself back, stumbling away from him. When had she gotten so close to him? When had she leaned towards him, her hand extended; she’d almost touched him. Almost fed…_

_It was what the Master wanted her to do. Gods, how she hated that title. Master. It infuriated her enough to momentarily fuel her aching body with hate, and she was able to look away from the poor victim on the floor. There was nothing she could do to save his life, nothing she could do to help him; she couldn’t even help herself._

_She didn’t know how much time had passed in this new life of hers. She’d been out of it more often than she’d been lucid. After the traveling, there’d been chains in the darkness, binding, holding her down as she’d been fed ever increasing amounts of blood. The dark had made it easy. She’d been bound and accepted the sustenance that was offered to her, held for her, brought to her mouth. She’d fed in blissful ignorance with no choice in the matter._

_But that wasn’t what the Master wanted from her, and what was once freely given was slowly taken away. She’d been forced to go for longer periods of time between feedings. The shadows had stretched and deepened around her, encouraging her to call out and ask for release. Her voice had not sounded like that of a queen, but that’s what he’d called her._

_“I’m here for you, My Queen.” He’d waved away her restraints and offered her his arm, supporting her as he led her away from the chains. She’d been weak; she’d leaned on him, never suspecting that he was escorting her from one level of hell to another._

_The man in the corner stopped breathing. He was the third one she had outlasted, her desire for his blood fading as quickly as his heartbeat. She breathed easier, her chest expanding in the full breath she hadn’t yet realized she no longer needed. But the Master was watching closely and she heard the lock on the door slide open before she could truly rest._

_“My Queen,” he said, approaching her as two others scurried in behind him to fetch the dead man, “you look tired.”_

_His thumb grazed gently across her cheek, but she knew enough to already be wary of him. “I’m fine,” she demurred and felt his fingers tighten briefly along her jaw, waiting for his honorific. She didn’t offer it._

_“I’ve been remiss in my affections, My Queen.” His hand dropped away from her face as he indicated the bloody corner of the cell. “I should have known better than to expect you to feed from the floor.”_

_He snapped his fingers and a new victim was brought in. The fresh scent of blood filled the small space and hit Regina like a sledgehammer. She fell back against the wall for support as she watched in dawning horror that they weren’t simply dropping this new half-naked man to the floor as they had the others. He bled from a dozen cuts as they strung him up against the wall, chains around his wrists run through loops embedded at the top of the wall._

_“Now, My Queen, you won’t have to kneel in order to feed.”_

_The Master and his two servants left, the door locking Regina in with yet another of her defenses taken away. The scent of the man’s blood filled the cell with rivulets running down his arms and drops rolling from his thighs to the floor. Regina backed into the corner, the only area she had left, her shaking hands covering her face, trying desperately to block out the offering she couldn’t escape._

_“M’lady?”_

_Her head shot up and found soft, brown eyes watching her. All the others had been comatose to the point of unconsciousness. Stunned and caught off guard, she fell back on protocol that had been beaten into her. “It’s Your Majesty.”_

_He chuckled and then coughed, grimacing. “My apologies.” He looked up at his restraints, testing their strength, straining his muscles. “Will you help me, Your Majesty? Please.”_

_“No.” She shook her head. “No, I can’t.” Her fingers curled into fists at her sides as more blood flowed from his wounds. “And stop moving around like that. You’re only making things worse.”_

_He jerked at the cuffs. “Please, Your Majesty.” He twisted against the chains, groaning. “I just need…undo the cuffs.”_

_“I…_ can’t _.”_

_“I stole the key,” he said, still fighting. “It’s in my pocket.”_

_He twisted his hip towards her and the long gash along his back made her mouth water. “Then what?”_

_“We’ll escape together,” he said. “We’ll fight our way out of here.”_

_She didn’t realize she was moving closer to him, his blood more than the promises of hope drawing her in._

_“We can help each other, My Queen.”_

_In a daze, she nodded, her hand reaching for his pocket. “Yes.”_

_“Take what you need.”_

_Regina blinked, surprised to find her face only inches away from his battered chest. “What?”_

_“You’ll be doing me a favor, My Queen.” He twisted, bringing the cut along his ribs closer to her mouth. “Put me out of my misery.”_

_She bared her teeth and leaned towards the cut, daring to taste it._

_“Please, Regina,” he encouraged. “You’re so close.”_

_The rib cage wasn’t the ideal place to feed from, but her teeth sank into his flesh easily, scraping bone as she was desperate for that first taste. He grunted at her bite then turned his head to the side, exposing his neck. “Please, My Queen.”_

_She eagerly accepted the offer, never noticing in her haste and hunger that his heart wasn’t in his chest as she fed. It was only later, when she was sated and calm, appalled at what she had done that she saw the Master crush the faded organ into dust._

_“Soon, My Queen. We’re so close.”_

Regina jerked awake, a faint taste of blood in her mouth blurring her realities, but the throbbing in her wrist brought her quickly to the present. The leather bound books lining the shelves, the familiar ornate desk, and a large mirror in the corner of the room helped ground her further. She was in the library of her vault, her sister watching her warily. She smoothed her hair back as she sat up, and accepted the replenishing potion Zelena silently handed her as she shook off the last of the dream. “How is she?”

Zelena glanced at the mirror. “Quiet for the moment. You’ve only been asleep a few hours.”

Regina resisted the urge to rub her aching wrist. Emma had always had a voracious appetite; it seemed that switching from a diet of carbs to blood hadn’t changed that. “And the wolves?”

“Howling.” Zelena rolled her eyes. “But when she’s quiet, so are they.”

They both looked at the mirror. Regina had opted away from shutting Emma into a coffin as she had been, but the room in which the blonde was locked was small, no larger than a cell. Its dimensions and darkness were meant to assure and provide security. As Emma was curled up into one of the corners, muscles twitching as she appeared to sleep, Regina felt as comfortable with her decisions as she could expect to be.

“So.” The witch sniffed. “Shall we talk about it?”

Regina frowned. There were several things Zelena could be referring to and she didn’t feel like discussing any of them. “No.”

The redhead’s lips pursed for a second before she decided she didn’t care. “Too bad.” She turned towards her sister. “You were baring your fangs while you slept, Regina,” she said. “I haven’t seen you do that in ages.”

That explained the taste of blood in her mouth. “It’s nothing,” she tried. “It was just an intense dream.”

Zelena considered, then pressed, “About him?”

“Yes,” the brunette admitted reluctantly.

Zelena shifted her gaze back to the mirror, knowing it was easier for Regina if she wasn’t looking right at her. “That’s the first time in a while, isn’t it?”

Regina hated talking about it. Despised acknowledging the beast had existed much less admitting he still affected her, but Zelena, more than anyone else, knew what he had done to Regina. No one who hadn’t been through it could ever truly understand what it had been like, but Regina knew her sister tried. She sighed. “Probably just an after effect from the siring.” Oh, how she hated that word, too. “Triggering old memories.”

The witch frowned. “Is that normal?”

“I don’t know,” Regina admitted. “I’ve never…”

“Oh. Right.” Zelena held up a hand. She’d always marveled at her sister’s restraint to have never sired anyone before. It would have made shopping for butlers and house staff so much easier. “Maybe ask Hook about it when he arrives.”

“Is he coming here?”

“Yes, as are the Merry Men, the dwarves, and any other magical creature within a few hundred miles.”

“What? Why?”

“Apparently, the magical rumor mill has been working overtime,” Zelena sighed, readying herself for the explosion that would be her sister. “Emma has a lot of concerned friends.”

“Or,” Regina snarled, “Snow has been running her mouth and everyone wants to see the Savior turned vampire.”

Zelena nodded. “That too.”

Several bottles along the back shelf shattered as Regina stormed towards the exit of the vault.


	30. Chapter 30

“Snow!” Regina snapped as soon as she was out of the vault, startling several people that were standing near its entrance. Zelena hadn’t made it clear that the dwarves and Merry Men had already arrived. Robin started towards her, and she also saw several wolves trotting in from further out.

“The cemetery is becoming quite the hot spot,” Zelena remarked from behind her shoulder. “Granny should open a food truck.”

Regina scanned the area as she waited for Snow to shift. There were more wolves on the far edges of the cemetery than Snow’s pack numbered. Four dwarves were sitting off to the right; their pick axes leaning against tombstones, and although Robin now stood at her side, she saw the Merry Men heading out as a group towards the woods all armed with swords or crossbows. “What the hell is going on?”

Robin cleared his throat to answer, but Zelena stopped him with a shake of her head. The question was meant solely for Snow who stopped her approach at the snarled question. The tentative smile she’d had on her face disappearing. “Regina, is everything all right?”

“No, it’s not all right,” the vampire hissed. “What is all this? You know as well as I do that the initial time after a transition is the worst, and you’re trying to throw Emma a surprise party with every magical creature from the Eastern seaboard?”

“Whoa,” Ruby said, standing at Snow’s shoulder and holding up a hand. “Regina, that’s not what this is.”

Snow was looking at her step-mother curiously, her head cocked slightly to the side.

“Then what the hell is it?” She could feel the presence of, at least, two more vampires in the area now that she was out of the vault. She really hoped it was Killian and not ones from the city.

“You sent a message to beef up security around Emma,” Snow said finally. “We called in a favor with the Montreal pack, and I told the dwarves because they live here.”

Regina looked around dumbfounded at all the faces staring back at her with comparable expressions. Robin nodded, confirming he’d received a similar message. Zelena, however, looked just as confused as her sister. “And how exactly did you all receive this message?”

“A crow.”

“You’ll have to forgive the confusion, dearie,” Rumplestiltskin said, appearing at the edge of their group. “I thought they’d take the instruction better coming from you.”

“That’s certainly the truth,” another voice drawled. “I wouldn’t have turned my ship around and headed here on just the Crocodile’s word.” Killian and a crew of five pirates emerged from behind the vault. He nodded at Regina. “I was sorry to hear about Emma, love.”

She acknowledged him, but this wasn’t the time. “Start talking, Imp.”

The Dark One looked around and sneered at the gathering that was growing larger as the dwarves had wandered over and several wolves were closing in. “Somewhere else, perhaps.”

With a flick of his wrist, dark red smoke swirled and five of them reappeared inside the clock tower. “There. That’s better.”

Killian snarled at being transported unaware, but Regina held him back, looking quickly around the gathered group. Herself, Killian, Zelena, Rumple, and Snow. “What the hell are you doing? Someone needs to stay with Emma.”

Rumple held up a placating hand. “Yes, yes, her father and the beta are with her. I’ll return you to her presently, but first we must talk.”

“Fine.” Snow recovered quickly. “Why did you summon us all here? Why did you say Emma is in danger?”

“Because I believe she is,” he said simply. “While all of you have been setting up here, watching her sleep, I’ve been investigating who attacked her.” He pointed at Regina. “You’re not going to like what I found out.”

Regina felt herself go cold, the dream from earlier fresh in her mind. “The Master.”

Rumple nodded. “His magical signature was on the blade that Emma was stabbed with.”

Zelena sucked in a breath, eyes darting towards her sister. Killian shifted uncomfortably and Snow looked confused. “That’s not possible. We killed him.”

“No, he only let you think you did,” Rumple countered. He looked at Regina and indicated her wrists. “Tell me, your Majesty, do the scars still ache when you do magic? It took a lot of effort on your part to pull down the castle’s barrier that night.”

Her muscles twitched, but she held back from touching the banded scars around her wrists. “If he’d been killed, the barrier should have fallen with him.” Her mouth went dry at the realization. “I always thought he’d used an incantation…”

“He knew the end was close. The White Hats were tightening the noose. It’s why he put you where he did. Day in and day out, chained to an open window, exposed to the sun with only children to feed on. He wanted you weak,” Rumple explained.

"He wanted me to be caught." So many things about those last few weeks made so much more sense.

“You were the face of his empire. A sacrificial lamb for the heroes to capture and kill.” 

Zelena was torn between desperately wanting to know more and giving her sister a moment to steady herself. Regina had taken several hard hits in the past twenty-four hours, and if Snow’s even paler than usual complexion was anything to go by, she couldn’t be counted on for help. The witch stepped forward, interrupting the sight line between Regina and Rumple. “Let’s assume you’re right about all this.”

“I usually am.”

Zelena rolled her eyes. “Why would the master want to kill Emma? And can we please come up with something different to call him? It’s ridiculous.”

Rumple smirked. “Oh, I doubt he intended for Emma to die this time. Besides her attacker, there were two other magical signatures very close to her when you found her last night. They disappeared shortly after my arrival.” He leaned forward, hands folded over the top of his walking stick. “I think the so-called master wants Emma for himself.”

Regina really wished she could sit down; instead, she locked her knees and her spine. “Because she’ll be powerful.”

“She was already powerful. As a vampire, she would be even more so,” he said. “As a vampire sired by Regina…”

Zelena’s eyes widened as she looked at her sister. “The product of true love sired by a descendant of Merlin.”

“She’ll be more powerful than anyone we've ever seen,” Rumple concluded.

Killian swore under his breath. “He wants Emma the same way he wanted Regina?"

“He’ll want her more.”

“Then we need to get back to her. She has to be protected,” Snow said. She might not understand all of the details, but she knew enough to appreciate that four of the most powerful people she knew were concerned.

“He won’t come yet,” Rumple said. “We have a small window of time.”

“He’ll wait for the change to be complete,” Regina explained.

“When she’ll be ripe for coercion,” Hook said.

“And I’ll be at my weakest,” Regina added, “unable to defend her.”

“You won’t be alone,” Zelena reminded her.

“That’s right,” Snow said, trying for her usual optimism. “After all, we’ve assembled quite the magical army.”

Regina almost wished it was just she and Rumple discussing this. They would be much more brutally honest with each other. “Will we be enough?”

“If we aren’t,” the Dark One was uncharacteristically sober, “I imagine the entire realm will serve at the Dark Swan’s command.”


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the late update today, I had internet issues this morning. Also I'm going to put up a double update this evening since I won't be able to do so again until tomorrow evening. After that my traveling will be over and posting should be back on a regular schedule for the concluding third of this story.  
> Thanks again to all of you who are reading! I hope you are enjoying it!

“If you get any of that on me, sister dear, I’m sending you the cleaning bill.” Zelena supported Regina into the library with one arm and tried to keep the brunette’s bleeding wrist from falling against her with her other. “You’re dripping all over the place. Why isn’t it healing?”

“Magical…bite.” Regina slumped against the arm of the settee, holding her arm out so the witch could bandage it. She rolled her head to the side so she could see the mirror. “Well…she’s raging now.”

The witch preferred not to watch as Emma tore at herself and at the walls, punching them, lashing out in every way she could. The screams were barely audible, but Zelena would’ve sworn she could hear them echoing in her ears. She busied herself with the bandage and kept her back to the mirror. She glanced up trying to gauge her sister’s mood.

“All that stuff Rumple was saying earlier,” she started cautiously, feeling Regina’s attention turn towards her. “Is that why you never sired anyone before? You knew you’d pass your magic onto them?”

The brunette eyed her sister; the redhead’s long, cool fingers were soothing wrapped as they were around her throbbing wrist. Now she’d have two scars on that arm. “I’d considered it,” she confessed, “but it’s one of only several reasons.”

“Did it factor into your decision that night to save Emma?”

“No,” she admitted, slumping further against the cushions of the couch. “I wasn’t capable of higher thought in that moment. Since then?" She huffed out a humorless laugh. "Yes, I’ve given it great consideration.”

“She’ll love it, you know. When she realizes, she’ll finally be more powerful than us.” Zelena stood, patting the fresh bandage and smirking at the vampire’s hiss. “I’ll get your potion.”

“Let’s just hope she handles this better than she did when she found out she was magical,” Regina said. It was definitely a concern, but it was one that could be put aside for another day. She brought her legs up on the couch and considered all the more pressing matters. “We should ask Rumple if he still has Emma’s attacker stashed away somewhere. She’s going to need real blood starting tomorrow.”

“If he doesn’t, I’m sure Robin’s men,” Zelena refused to call them merry, “can hunt down some wild game for her.”

“Human or magical blood would be better.” Regina tipped her head back against the couch and closed her eyes.

“That’ll be fun with all these hero types around,” Zelena complained. She topped off a goblet with the replenishing potion from the bottle she made earlier and turned around. “Hey! I’m not concocting these potions for _my_ health.” She kicked her sister’s leg, forcing her eyes to open. “Drink first, pass out afterwards.”

Regina accepted the deep silver goblet and sat up slightly to drink it. “Talk to Hook. He’ll understand what Emma needs.” She took several sips. “And how to procure it.”

Zelena waited for her to finish the potion and then took the goblet back, magicking away the residue. “We’ll take care of it even if I have to dash back to Oz.” She smirked. “I wonder how Emma feels about munchkins.”

Regina wanted to veto munchkins, but she was asleep before she could form the words.

_It was her first battlefield, and the fighting had been brutal. The once green field was turned black with blood and gore. The grunts and cries of pain were a symphony of the wounded and dying soldiers. Horses neighed, ignorantly trying to make their battered bodies get up from the ground. Scavenging birds of prey were already circling the area drawing in more of their kind. Regina gagged even as her mouth watered at all the blood._

_It was the first time in four years she’d been allowed out of his castle; it was the first full month she’d spent outside of his dungeons. If she’d known her trip to the battlefield would be the catalyst for her next five years of torture and education as he called it, she would’ve done everything in her power to avoid it. Not that she had much power. Not that he hadn’t planned for that outcome as well when he’d found her reading in the library and offered to take her on an outing._

_“Who are they?” she asked, trying to settle her mind on something, anything as her master casually escorted her across the field._

_He seemed to give her question consideration and even halted their stroll next to several strewn bodies. He kicked over a shield and studied the coat of arms on it – a crossed sword and battle axe opposite a fleur de lis._

_Groans of pain sounded from near her feet the longer they stood there, and Regina forced herself not to look down. Her tolerance for all things macabre had become more than she’d ever imagined in the past four years, but she still had no desire to seek out awful things._

_“M’lady…ple-ase…”_

_She flinched, her hand tightening its hold on her master’s arm. He pretended not to notice and flipped over another shield, one bearing the black body of a manticore against a red background. Regina felt the brush of fingertips against her boot._

_“…beg…your help…”_

_The Master straightened away from his diversion and sighed, “Well? What are you going to do about him, my Queen?”_

_“What?” She’d been concentrating so hard on focusing her attention elsewhere, she’d missed her master’s turn. She quickly inclined her head. “I’m sorry, Master. I was distracted.”_

_He took her by the chin and forced her to look down at the bleeding soldier lying at her feet. The soldier had two arrows protruding from his body and a blood soaked gash across his middle. It was a trio of unfortunate wounds that would kill him slowly. “He dared to touch you, did he not?”_

_She frowned. “He…yes, he touched my boot.”_

_“Then punish him.”_

_Regina blinked. “You want me to kill him?”_

_"Not necessarily. Death would probably be a blessing to him at this point.” He circled behind her, his mouth next to her ear. “I want you to_ hurt _him. You know how to do that, don’t you?” His hands slid around her waist. “You’ve had plenty of experience lately.”_

_She froze. Yes, pain had been inflicted upon her in a myriad of ways, forcing her to know how to cause it in return. There were even times she broke and swore that she would see that pain returned ten-fold on someone else, but they were not this man, this soldier. He had done nothing to her, nothing to court torture._

_“Do as I command, Regina,” the Master said, slipping away from his formal address for her. “Hurt him.”_

_She shuddered but didn’t move to follow the command._

_“Hurt him,” the Master insisted, his large hands increasing their pressure against her hip bones, “or I will hurt you.”_

_She jerked involuntarily against the reminder. The Master had only taken a personal hand in her pain and suffering a few times, but each of those times had been the absolute worst punishments that she had endured. Lessons that she would always remember. “I can’t.”_

_“Yes, you can," he insisted. "You’re so close, Regina. So close to knowing real power,” he said, his hands sliding up her body, pulling her closer against him. “If you ask me…I’ll help you.”_

_Help her? He would put her under his thrall and control her. He'd done it before, forced her to commit several unspeakable acts against others. That's what he meant by helping._

_The heavy weight of his hands settled on her shoulders. “It’s easier when I help you, isn’t it?”_

_She'd never submitted willingly to his brand of help; she'd had no choice. She felt his grip tighten and knew he expected a response."Yes, it's easier.”  
_

_His hot breath washed over her ear. “Then ask me.”_

_She would be forced to hurt the man one way or another. At least, under the Master's thrall, it wouldn't be her decision. It was only her decision to ask him. She hated herself for her weakness. “Please.”_

_His fingers dug painfully into her tender shoulders. “Ask me properly, Regina.”_

_A whimper escaped her before she could stop it as she partially folded under his ministrations. “Mercy, Master! Please.”_

_The ball of pain in her shoulders receded as a hazy, mist began filling her mind. Her body relaxed into his touch, her back sagging against his chest as she willingly accepted his influence. She heard him telling her what to do, felt her muscles moving to follow his instructions. She could fight against it, but it was so much easier to simply drift._

_Gurgling, horrid screams filled the air and she felt off balance; the ground beneath her foot writhed and trembled. She compensated, leaning more of her weight forward, the sound of suffering growing louder._

_“Now, break his neck.”_

_Regina flicked her wrist and heard a distinct crack as the dying sounds cut off. The haze in her mind had receded as the command had been given. She felt the magical command still tingling in her fingers. She stepped backwards, lowering her foot to the ground, noticing absently that her boot was a mess; the heel coated in blood._

_“Well done, my Queen.” The Master lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, before placing it back at the crook of his arm. “Shall we move on then?”_

_Regina glanced down at the soldier lying dead at her feet. Movement and a cough caught her attention; she saw another wounded soldier watching her from a few feet away. Wide eyes and a pale face under streaks of mud stared at her in horror before quickly lowering at her attention._

_The Master grinned at her side. “Now that’s the proper respect you should be shown. Complete and utter deference to your power.”_

_It wasn’t respect; it was fear, but she knew better than to contradict him._

_He pointed at the soldier. “Him, I would grant a merciful death. Or would you like the honor?”_

_It may have been phrased like an option but she knew it wasn’t. She raised her hand to chest height and repeated the hard flick of her wrist. The crack of bone was audible from several feet away. The Master laughed and congratulated her, guiding her away._

_“Did you still want to know who the two armies are?” he asked as they approached the edge of the battlefield._

_“No.” She shook her head as she looked out at the carnage. “It doesn’t matter.”_

Regina woke with a start, her hand quickly covering her mouth. She felt nauseous as the dream and the memory of long ago swept over her. Her stomach clenched at the thought of what else they had done that day, how they’d fed on captured enemy soldiers in one camp, and tortured prisoners in the opposite camp. And because she had balked before obeying several commands, she had still spent the next three months chained in a dungeon with rotting, festering corpses from the battlefield. One of which had worn the face of the man that had begged her to save him.

It was the first battlefield she had ever been on; it was the last one where she hesitated.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, there are lines of dialogue on the show that I love to give back to the characters when I can. You'll see what I mean and you'll know I didn't write them originally...although I really did enjoy writing this chapter!

“Regina?”

“Yes, pup,” she said, stroking the blonde’s hair out of her face. “I’m here.”

She hadn’t meant to stay long, but it had taken both magic and brute strength to force Emma off of the poor, unfortunate soul they had brought in for her to feed from before she’d killed him. Zelena had almost lost a finger to snapping jaws, and Emma had probably chipped a tooth on Killian’s hook. By the end of it, Regina had somehow ended up seated against the wall with her arms wrapped around Emma from behind until the blonde had calmed down.

“I don’t feel so well,” Emma mumbled.

Regina kissed the top of Emma’s head. “I know.”

“I could really go for a grilled cheese right about now.”

“Oh, Emma,” she said, “you’re going to want to stay away from such things for a while.”

A tremor shook the blonde and she groaned, her hand digging painfully into Regina’s thigh for nearly a minute before the pain lessened. She relaxed slowly, her head lolling against the brunette’s shoulder as they both caught their breath. They stayed that way for several minutes before Emma spoke again. “Is this…what you went through?”

Regina hesitated. She hadn’t been sure Emma was aware enough to know what was happening. She wished she could see the blonde’s face, to know her expression and whether or not she was now hated. “Yes, it is.”

“Thought so.” Emma’s back spasmed, holding her rigid for several seconds before relaxing again. Her head lolled on Regina's shoulder. “Yeah, drinking the blood…kind of gave away the surprise.”

The vice that had been around Regina’s heart since that night in the park loosened slightly at Emma’s humor. “I’m so sorry, Emma. I never wanted this for you.”

“s’okay,” Emma grunted, grinding her teeth, her hand clenching the brunette's leg. “Wish my bones…would stop melting though. That’d be…nice.”

Regina grimaced and pried Emma’s fingers away from her thigh long enough to slip her hand into the blonde’s instead. “I don’t know how much longer I can stay with you, Emma. It’s not safe for either of us.”

Emma nodded, breathing hard through her mouth. “When is…it over?”

Regina hesitated again, but she deserved the truth. “After today, the worst will be over.”

The blonde laughed, cried, whimpered. “So, today is going to be bad.”  She looked over her shoulder. “That’s what you’re saying.”

Regina nodded. “Yes.”

“’kay.” She tried to push herself up, mostly fell over, and half-stumbled-half-crawled away from Regina. “Don’t worry, Reg.” She collapsed back to the floor. “I’ll still be here…when you get back.”

Regina didn’t limp when she left the cell; on the off chance Emma noticed, Regina didn’t want her to worry. As soon as she got the door closed and locked behind her, she collapsed against the wall, blinking through the pain in her leg.

Killian leaned out of the library. “Are you all right, love?”

She straightened but kept her weight on the opposite leg. “I’m fine.”

The pirate smirked, not buying it. He moved closer, giving her a long once over. “She put up quite a fight earlier. Doesn’t know her own strength yet, I’d wager.”

Regina’s pride demanded she try, but lying to another vampire was incredibly difficult. “Fine,” she huffed and gratefully leaned back against the wall. “I think she may have…fractured my femur.”

Killian’s eyebrows shot up his forehead as he looked down. Then he laughed.

“Shut up,” she growled and began to limp past him.

“Allow me, your Majesty,” he said, slipping his shoulder under her arm, still grinning. “I’d offer to carry you, but I’m afraid you’d fireball me for trying.” She glared at him and he nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

Zelena looked up from the sofa when the two of them limped into the library. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Tripped.”

“Nothing.”

Zelena narrowed her eyes at both of them. She glanced at the mirror and saw Emma curled into the fetal position where she’d been when Regina had left her. “I got Emma’s snack back to New York. He’ll wake up in an alley, wondering how he got there and why he’s so tired.”

“Rum will do that to a person.” Hook grinned and saluted them with his flask. “We’ve got about ten hours or so before she needs another snack. I’ll go and see what I can find.”

Zelena saw how her sister was holding her leg and swatted her hands away, holding her own over the area. Her magic quickly revealed the problem and she raised an eyebrow at Regina. “That must’ve hurt.”

The brunette grunted as the healing spell flooded into her thigh. “I’m sure the bruise would’ve been magnificent.”

“Hmmm.” Zelena finished and then knew she needed to broach a delicate subject. “Now that the pirate is gone, there is something I have to tell you.”

Regina raised an eyebrow. “What?”

The redhead moved out of striking range. “You’re starting to smell.”

“Excuse me.”

“You look tired and not in a good way,” the witch continued unperturbed. “Not like you’ve been out partying all night tired, but more like you were up all week and then got hit by a truck.”

“Zelena!”

“I’m just being honest,” she said with a shrug. “You should get out of this vault for a few hours. Go chase some wild thing through the woods and feed; then take a real shower not just a magical dust off like you've been doing. A few hours of actual sleep instead of blood loss induced coma wouldn’t hurt either.”

Regina wanted to argue; she really did, but considering her sister’s bluntness she knew that was expected. She glanced at the mirror; Emma hadn’t moved from her curled up spot on the floor. “Fine.”

“No, I mean it. You own a house here, after all, you should use it. I…oh, you agreed. Good.” Zelena narrowed her eyes. “You did that on purpose didn’t you?”

Regina tiredly pushed to her feet. “Call me if anything changes.”

The redhead held up the cell phone to show she had it at the ready.

With one more glance at Emma, the brunette walked stiffly to the door. “I’ll be back in four hours.”

“Six! No less.”

Regina pulled herself up the steps to the outer part of the vault. She’d never admit it, but she was exhausted. Siring Emma was more blood loss than she’d experienced in decades. She stepped out of the vault and was again struck by how many people were simply hanging out around the area. Robin was nowhere in sight, but she did see an unexpected lithe figure sitting cross legged on one of the larger tombstones.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

The blonde pixie looked up from her phone and matched Regina’s glare. “Don’t start with me, vamp.” She jumped down from her perch. “Every magical creature in Storybrooke is here, and since I’m the only fairy left, I guess it’s up to me to represent them.”

“And just how are you going to do that? You don’t _have_ magic,” Regina sneered.

The fairy flicked out a knife. “Ever hear of dreamshade?” She took a step towards the brunette. “Care to see what it’ll do to a vampire?”

Fire flared to life in Regina’s palm. “Come and get me, Tinkerbell.”

“O-kay!” Ruby jogged up to stand beside them, still pulling a cloak around herself. “Let’s everybody calm down, yeah? We’re all on the same side here.”

“Are we?” Regina snapped. “How do we know she’s fighting with us?”

“My problem isn’t with Emma,” Tink snapped back. “It never was. But you…you I’ll take on any day.”

“Try it, and I’ll make the fairies extinct.”

“Regina!” Ruby scolded.

The blonde smirked and shook her head. “Same monster you’ve always been, I see.”

“Tink!” Ruby glared at the pixie as much as she had the vampire, wondering when her life got so dangerous that she was standing between the two of them.

“It’s all right, Red,” Regina said, extinguishing the fireball. “We’re done here. A word of advice though, wolf." She stepped closer to Red. "If this comes down to a fight, I’d watch my back around that one. Everyone knows,” she smirked at the blonde, “fairies can’t be trusted.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update tomorrow night once I'm done traveling!   
> Thanks so much for continuing to read!


	33. Chapter 33

_“Did you think a little blood would frighten me?” she laughed as she slit the enemy commander’s throat, feeling the warm spray hit her in the face. He fell to his knees in front of her, teetering for a moment, watching her in disbelief before falling over. She savored his idiocy for a moment before looking around, searching for her next target._

_A throat being cleared from behind her got her attention. She sighed, the duties of her role pressing in on her. “Yes, what is it?”_

_“Your Majesty, the enemy is fleeing.”_

_She glanced over her shoulder and eyed her field commander. He was an absolute brute of a man, towering head and shoulders taller than her. His size would dwarf her if he ever stood close to her, which he didn’t. He was also intelligent._

_“Shall we pursue them?”_

_She regarded him. The same blood and gore that stained her armor and saturated her skin clung to him as well. “Don’t we always?”_

_A feral grin exposed blood stained teeth before he inclined his head. “Your Grace.”_

_Regina dismissed him with a wave of her hand. The joy of battle was waning as she picked her way through hundreds of bodies, encouraging the blood flow of enemies that had dared to stand against her, breaking the necks of her soldiers that were beyond saving. A few offered her their dying blood._

_She felt the presence of her master long before he announced himself. Yes, the high she’d achieved during the fighting was now completely gone, and all she had left was the interminable time before her next fight. She pulled another enemy soldier free from a pile of bodies, lifting him by the shoulder plating of his armor. She examined the pile and saw a muddied banner and horse hooves near the bottom. Regina raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you someone of worth, then?”_

_He still clung to his sword even though he could no longer raise it. “You’ve won today, monster,” he spat, “but one day, someone will defeat you.”_

_Defeat. In fifty years, she’d gone from needing to be rescued to needing to be stopped. It had been a long time since the words spoken to her on a battlefield made her feel hopeful. With a deft flick of her wrist, she broke the nobleman’s neck and dropped him._

_“You are hardly the image of a conquering queen.”_

_The nobleman actually being noble had ruined her plans. She’d fully intended to cut him so he’d spray blood on her master, knowing how much he hated it. “Conquerors become so by winning battles, Master,” she countered. “Battles are won by spilling the enemy’s blood.” She looked down at herself and knew that none of the gore clinging to her was her own. She flashed her teeth at him when she smiled. “I’d say I’m winning.”_

_“You have magic.” He needlessly pointed out. “You could win without any of them ever getting close to you.”_

_“Where’s the fun in that?” she chuckled and continued picking her way across the field. “After all, you did have the harshest commanders in all the land teach me combat.” Harsh was one way to describe it. Once she’d learned the basics, she’d been taught how to continue fighting even after being wounded – one broken bone at a time. “Why bother with all that if I don’t occasionally lift a sword?”_

_“You_ occasionally _use your magic,” he argued. “You always lift your sword.”_

_“In the heat of battle, I use them equally.” She did. She just preferred to make the killing blows with the physical weapon. Magic was bloodless for the most part; the sword was much more satisfying._

_“You insist on doing things the hard way,” he sneered, putting his hand on her upper back, “but we’re close, my Queen, so very close.”_

_She knew better than to pull away when he slowly sank his hand past her spine and his fingers wrapped around her heart. She grunted when he squeezed, feeling more pain than she had the entire battle. He increased the pressure until she yielded. “Master!” She heard the cracking sound and felt a white hot blast of pain that she knew from experience would linger for weeks. “Mercy, please.”_

_He released her and she dropped to her knees, grabbing futilely at her chest. He rested his hand on her shoulder. “Magic is power, Regina. You_ will _learn to use all of yours, or you’ll die trying.”_

_As quietly as he had arrived, he departed. Regina stayed on her knees amongst the rest of the fallen. She dropped her head back on her shoulders, staring up at the darkening sky. Legends of the battle later claimed that it was the Evil Queen’s scream that split open the heavens and made rain soak the battlefield._

Regina recoiled as the spray of water from the shower hit her upturned face; she was on her knees and the water had turned cold. She fumbled, reaching for the faucet handles to shut off the spray. Once the water shut off, she leaned against the wall of the shower. Now she was slipping into the visions even when she was awake. Maybe her sister was right; maybe she really did need to get some rest.

As soon as she opened the shower door to reach for her towel, she froze. A lifetime of learning flooded her, tightening her muscles, spiking her adrenalin. She let the rage flood into her and felt her blood race through her veins. She stepped out of the shower and slicked her hair back. The robe she threw around her shoulders clung to her wet skin, but she didn’t care. She practically ripped the door off its hinges when she opened it.

Sitting there in her bedroom, his arm stretched out comfortably along the back of her sofa, sat the beast that had created the Evil Queen. The Master had come to see Regina.

He smirked and held up a glass of wine. “My Queen. It’s been far too long.”

She fireballed him. He caught it easily which she expected, but the smirk falling ever so briefly from his face made the effort worthwhile.

“Get out.” It was all she said as she crossed to her closet, turning her back on him. She knew he wouldn’t leave which was fine since she needed him to talk so she could find out what he wanted, but she also wanted to be clear on her feelings.

“You’re upset.”

His voice carried to her as she stepped into the closet and began to dress. It was quite possibly the dumbest thing he’d ever said to her. She didn’t bother replying.

“I know you think I left you alone for far too long, but I have always been trying to get you back. We’re close now, my Queen, so very close.”

Her heart thudded in her chest at the words and she swayed slightly against the clothes hanging in her closet. _Close, so very close._ He was the reason she’d been having such…visions. She straightened and recognized the touch of his thrall trying to influence her; she threw him off. Emerging from the closet, she carefully laid a jacket on the bed and glared at him. “Close to what?”

“Achieving everything we ever wanted.” He stood and she took in his appearance. Except for his clothes which were a modern, well cut dark suit, he hadn’t changed. His broad chest and shoulders fit tight beneath the black button down shirt and his close cropped white-blonde hair set off his crystal blue eyes.

She raised an eyebrow at his audacity. “And what is it, that you think, I _ever_ wanted with you?”

“The world at our feet,” he said simply.

She snorted dismissively. "I never even wanted to be queen."

"You may not have sought out power," he cut over her, "but you liked it once you had it. You never let it go."

"You _forced_ the power on me," she bit out. "I never had a choice."

The thin line of his mouth twitched upwards. "Now you and I both know, that's not true. You chose to do the things you did."

It was true; it was what she had told Snow the night they'd pulled her from the dungeon. It may not have been much of a choice; it may have been a choice made out of self-preservation under extreme duress, but it was always her choice to act. More specifically, how she carried out those choices had been completely of her own volition.

“You forget, Regina, I _know_ you.” He chuckled, "You never even tried to escape.”

The statement gutted her but there was truth in it.

“You forget that I know all those deep, dark feelings you have. I know how you keep them hidden. Your sister. Your step-daughter. Your precious Em-ma.” He swirled the wine in his glass. “Do you really think they'd still be around you, if they knew just how much you crave your old life?"

She felt the haze again of his presence in her mind. He was harder to shake off when the words were striking dangerously close to truth.

“I even felt you earlier today. That righteous blood-lust begging to be released.” He paused. “That _was_ you, wasn’t it?”

Her encounter with Tinkerbell. The desire to destroy.

“You don’t even deny it.” He moved behind her in a blink; his hands settled on her shoulders and his mouth lowered to her ear. "I know how your mouth waters at the thought of blood and fighting. I know your urges, my Queen. Do they?” His hands slipped down to her waist. “Do they know how often you lay awake, fighting off the desire to walk the streets of your city, taking life however you see fit? Aren't you tired of resisting your natural inclinations?"

She spun free from his hands, putting space between them as she snarled, "There is nothing natural about my inclinations."

He held his hands up. "You are what you are, Regina. Denying it will only hurt you." He slipped his hands into his pockets. "How are your headaches, by the way?"

Regina blinked at the seemingly odd change of subject. "What?"

"Your headaches," he repeated, moving slowly past her and back towards the couch. "They're always easier to endure when you've been feeding, aren't they?"

"My headaches are from the sun."

"You never had headaches while on a battlefield. The pirate sails a ship across the sea in broad daylight without any problems,” he pointed out. “Why do you think that is?"

Killian was always a bit looser with his morals when it came to feeding than she was. He restrained himself around her while she generally relaxed her personal constraints in his presence. She'd asked him once about the sun and sea and how it affected him. He'd shrugged it off and claimed after the first hundred years or so, he simply didn't notice anymore. She'd always assumed it to be a built up immunity and never had cause to question Hook's response. She wasn't about to start doubting the man now despite whatever seeds of discord the Master was attempting to sow.

"You didn't come here to talk about my headaches." She turned towards him, arms folded over her chest. "You didn't even come here to talk about me. Why are you really here?"

"I _am_ here for you," he argued then acknowledged with a shrug, "and Emma.” He refilled his glass of wine and a second glass for her. “Do you think your ragtag group of defenders will be enough to keep me from her?”

She accepted the proffered glass but didn’t drink from it. “I think you have doubts that you’ll be able to get past them.” She sniffed the wine; he’d always known how to pick a good red. “Or else you wouldn’t be here.”

“They don't concern me.” He leaned his hip back against the dresser. “I'm here for you. I want you with me, Regina. I always have.”

“But now you want Emma, too.”

“She’s going to be powerful.” His eyes practically glowed. “Who better to train her in those powers, to help her harness them, then her sire and her master?”

She set the glass down before she snapped it in two. The idea of Emma calling anyone master made her blood boil. “And by train, you mean break? And by harness, you mean force her into submission through any means necessary?” 

He didn’t respond, simply, held her gaze.

“You weren’t able to control Merlin,” she reminded him, knowing he hated it. “What makes you think you’d be able to control Emma?”

“I’ve had more than a hundred years of learning how to break someone properly since Merlin.” He saluted her with his glass. “You still remember everything I taught you, don’t you?”

Inwardly, she flinched; outwardly, she showed no response. “You will never do to Emma what you did to me. You will never touch Emma; you will _never_ have her.”

He sighed heavily. “I had hoped you’d be a bit more cooperative about this. It’s disappointing but not entirely unexpected. You’ve lived in this land too long and have forgotten your place.”

“My place, forever and always, will be between you and Emma.”

“Your place is beneath my command. A fact I will gladly remind you of when we return home. I will remind you every hour of every day until that cold, hard fact sinks in, even if it takes years.”

His voice had lost its congenial edge, and he sounded like the master she heard in her memory. The monster within her heard him too; the monster that he had nurtured and encouraged, raised its head. It had grown beyond him and no longer recognized him as master. Regina smirked. “If you come anywhere near my family, I’ll see you torn to pieces, set on fire, and your ashes scattered to the wind.” 

He drained his wine glass in one long swallow. “Emma will be mine, and you will either be with us, or I’ll have her kill you. Slowly. With her bare hands.”

He disappeared in a swirl of black smoke, and Regina exhaled a long shallow breath.


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay in posting. I didn't realize when I told my computer to update last night that it would also require an hour this morning to update as well.

The stairwell leading down to the crypt shimmered with green magic. Zelena was the last line of defense as Emma fed one last time on her sire. Regina would be at her weakest and Emma at her most vulnerable, but the witch had sworn no one would get past her. In a land without magic, the witch was a goddess, and she intended for the so-called master to find that out should he try to get past her.

Zelena had done plenty of terrible things in her long life, but Regina had done far worse many times over. Which is why it always counted whenever either of them was actually bothered by something. And when Regina had described the encounter she’d faced in her home, she had appeared shaken. The balled up fists, the clenched jaw, and the pacing would have all been passed off as signs of anger to anyone else, but Zelena knew her sister. She knew Regina was worried, and her worry was a cause of concern.

Using her sister’s tricks, Zelena had strategically placed mirrors outside so she could monitor the situation even as she remained locked inside the vault. Normally, she didn't need mirrors for observing but they did require less magic. The Dark One stood in front of the door to the mausoleum. Zelena had wanted to stand in his place, but Regina hadn’t fully trusted Rumple not to take advantage of the situation. She hadn’t wanted him any closer to Emma than necessary, but the witch had made a deal with the Dark One. Emma was safe from Rumple today.

At the bottom of the steps, there was an unusual assortment of men. Pirates and thieves from bygone eras willing to test their immortality in defense of two damsels. Regina had nearly taken Killian’s head off when he’d had the audacity to refer to her by such a title.

No longer able to change, Granny had placed herself and her crossbow at the center of the two groups of men. Not even Rumple had been bold enough to suggest she consider sitting out this fight. Tinkerbelle and the dwarves were the front line, flanked on either side by a pack of wolves.

It was an impressive display of magical might when facing off against the lone individual that appeared in front of them. The Master spread his arms wide in greeting. “Anyone who wants to live should leave now.”

Granny fired a cross bolt at his head.

It disintegrated before it ever got close, but it did make him frown. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the woman that dared shoot at him. “I remember you.” He scanned the line of wolves. “Which one is the girl you rescued that night?”

Granny nocked another bolt. “Too bad my aim didn’t kill you that night.”

A large white and grey wolf bared its teeth at him. He smiled. “There you are.” He shook a finger in her direction. “You cost me a small fortune that night, disappearing like you did with the old hag. I had a king all lined up waiting to...well, he might have married you eventually.”

Both wolves at Snow's sides, David and Ruby, began to snarl and snap at him. Watching from inside the vault, Zelena felt her magic begin to build. After all this time, they finally learned who had brought the attack against Leopold’s kingdom. Oh, Regina was going to miss one hell of a fight. She just hoped the wolves wouldn’t allow themselves to be so blatantly provoked into attacking prematurely.

When the wolves didn’t do more than growl, the Master scanned the rest of the group. He clucked his tongue. “Dwarves with pick axes?” He raised his voice, magic carrying it deep into everyone’s bones. “This is what you bring to fight me with?” With a flick of his wrist, he froze the dwarves in place. “Heigh ho, boys!”

They disappeared in a puff of smoke.

“Someone might want to go check on them,” he said casually, eyeing the lone pixie. “I’m not sure how much air they’ll have down in that abandoned mine if someone doesn’t let them out.”

Zelena listened as Granny suggested Tinkerbell, probably trying to get the blonde pixie away from the beast’s attention.

“No.” He held up a hand as he closed the distance between them. “The fairy stays with me.” He cupped her chin in his hand. “After all, she’s been with me since I arrived.”

The gathering of men and wolves shifted uncomfortably as the pixie moved to stand beside the beast, facing off against the other magicals of Storybrooke. Two of the wolves whined and even Killian looked uncomfortable from what Zelena could see. Regina would be furious she missed a righteous chance to clip the pixie’s wings once and for all.

“Lady Bell?” Killian asked, speaking up for everyone. “An explanation, love?”

The pixie had fury in her eyes. “Regina deserves whatever she gets.” She scanned the gathered crowd and pointed with her knife at Rumple. “Her and the Dark One slaughtered a dozen fairies, and none of you did anything! You continued to welcome them with open arms like they hadn’t just tortured and murdered all of my sisters. Regina came in my home and attacked me, threatened my life, and you, all of you just shrugged. Told me how lucky I was she hadn’t killed me.” Her shoulders twitched upwards. “Despite what all of you may think, Regina’s already earned the title of Evil Queen. I’m just making sure she wears the damn crown.”

“And in the interest of clearing up who’s guilty and who isn’t,” the Master took a step forward, a grin stretched across his face. “I’m the one that convinced the fairies-argh!”

Tink chose her moment well, sinking the poison dipped blade of her knife deep into the base of the Master’s neck, driving him to his knees. “Didn’t Regina tell you?” she hissed in his ear, twisting the blade. “Never trust a fairy.”

“I never…have.” His hand shot out and grabbed the pixie by the throat. He regained his feet, lifting Tinkerbelle completely off the ground with ease as he stood. “Fly away, moth!”

Zelena watched, mouth gaping open, as the wolves charged forward and arrows flew from bows, but they were all seconds too late as the Master hurled Tinkerbell halfway across the cemetery. Her small body slammed into a concrete headstone before slumping to the ground unmoving. As quickly as it started everything froze. Arrows and wolves alike were halted in midair. The Master grinned and twisted his hand, turning the arrows back the direction they came before releasing them. Half the Merry Men got hit by their own shots.

The Master grimaced as he pulled Tink’s knife from his neck. He casually wiped his blood off the darkened blade before running its flat edge along Snow’s frozen muzzle. “Regina likes you.” He ran his hand through her thick, bristling fur. “As a gift to her, I’ll spare your life this time.”

He flung his hand out sending the wolves flying in all directions. Furry bodies collided with trees, headstones, and the ground. Pirates, a few thieves, Granny, and the Dark One were the only ones still left standing. The Master eyed them briefly before hurling the poison tipped knife at the old woman. An arrow fired by Robin altered the blade’s course in time to save her.

“Nice shot,” the Master quipped. “Try blocking this.” A blast of magical energy hit Robin, Granny, and the remaining thieves, throwing them backwards against the crypt with enough force they collapsed in unconscious heaps.

“Enough of this,” he growled at the pirates wielding swords. “Go hang yourselves from a yardarm.”

Another wave of his arm and all the pirates but Hook disappeared. Killian grinned. “I’m not going anywhere, mate. Charmed myself a long time ago against that sort of magic.” He brandished his sword. “Wound up in one too many places I didn’t enjoy being.”

“You’ve been around a long time, pirate,” the Master said, moving forward. “Are you sure this is where you want to die?”

“I fancy my odds,” Killian said. “Regina always said you weren’t much of a fighter.” The beast hurled magic at the pirate. Killian easily deflected each effort with his sword. “Looks like her Majesty was right about you.” He clucked his tongue. “In all your years, you haven’t quite _mastered_ combat.”

Hook deflected three more shots with ease before Rumple cleared his throat. "As loathe as I am to interrupt, this is becoming rather tedious. Your magic is failing you _, amateur."_ He took a step down. "Here in the land without magic, using magic takes a toll." He gestured around the area and all the crumpled bodies. A few wolves were getting back to their feet. "You've used all your energy on cannon fodder, and now you can't even take out a simple pirate."

"There's nothing simple about me, Crocodile."

Rumple ignored him. "I'd also wager that dreamshade the pixie hit you with is draining you faster than you'd care to admit. It may not kill you, but you do feel it, don't you?"

"If you think I'm so weakened," the Master challenged, "why not engage, Dark One?"

"No, no, no." Rumple smirked. "I made a deal."

A burst of green magic slammed into the Master hurling him backwards, his bulk splintering the giant oak tree when he hit it. Zelena strode forward, emerging from the vault with a vengeance. “I’ve been waiting a long time to do that.”

Picking himself up from the ground, the Master wiped away a drop of blood from the corner of his mouth. “Ah, the illegitimate heir.” 

Green magic swirled around Zelena as she lifted her sister’s tormentor again, slamming him against the vault and then back to the tree.

He flicked magic back at her, a one-two combo the witch easily dispersed before hitting him again, driving him back down to his knees. “Oh, I’m sorry. Was that supposed to hurt?” She smirked. The Master grunted as he tried to regain his feet. “Unh-uh pet, stay down.” She threw him back to the ground. “Learn. Your. Place.”

“Perhaps…I chose…the wrong sister,” he managed through gritted teeth.

Zelena laughed. “You’re a bit late to try and play the envy card.” She began a swirling motion with her right hand as she kept her left trained on him. Everyone looked up as the skies began to darken with a gathering storm. “You’re no master; you’re a fraud, surviving only on the powers of others.” She drew her hand in a downward motion and the tail of a cyclone began to form beneath the swirling clouds. “Those days are at an end. The only thing you’ll be the master of now is the perfect little cell I have waiting for you in Oz.”

Debris began to swirl in the cemetery, wolves and people alike cowered against the raw power on display. Zelena stepped back, directing the cyclone straight towards the Master. He rose to his knees but didn’t flinch as he was pelted with hail and wind. The tornado swirled around him, ripping the oak from the ground, and capturing the Master in its vortex.

Killian stood at Zelena’s shoulder as they all watched the tornado retract back into the sky and disappear, leaving no trace of the Master in its wake. “Well done, love.”

Zelena beamed and felt a tension leave her shoulders that she’d been carrying for more years than she cared to think about. “It’s better than what he deserves.”

A wolf barked behind them and Zelena saw Snow standing at the top of the crypt’s steps. The large white wolf whined and jerked her head towards the open door. Rumple stood at the bottom of the steps, making no move to try and enter. “I believe this concludes my end of the bargain. I believe you promised me a certain item from your vault.”

“Yes, yes.” She magicked an Ozian crystal ball that she’d had in her possession for ages and handed it over. “You could make yourself useful and transport the wounded to the hospital.” She pushed past him, heading inside the crypt. “Hook, are you coming?”

He shook his head and gestured out to the headstones. “I’m going to check on Lady Bell.”

The witch had forgotten about the pixie. “Snow! Be sure someone checks on the dwarves.”

The wolf bobbed its head and took off. Zelena cast off the protection spell and hurried down the steps into her sister’s vault. Passing by the library, she went straight to the cell and opened the door. Emma looked up at the door opening, hand raised ready to defend. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw it was Zelena. “Is it over?”

“Yes,” the red head nodded. “The bastard should be halfway to Oz by now. How do you feel?”

Emma shrugged. “Fine, I guess.” 

Zelena knelt beside her sister on the floor. The brunette’s head was resting in Emma’s lap; her eyes closed. She brushed Regina’s hair back, examining her closely. “How long has she been like this?”

“Not long.” Emma kept one hand on Regina’s shoulder. “She said she felt your magic.” The blonde grinned. “She knew you wouldn’t stay out of the fight. I think she knew it was all right then because she finally passed out after that.”

“Yes, well, I think we can find a more suitable place for her to recover. I’ll transport her home and then we’ll see-“  A swirl of white smoke deposited all three of them into Regina’s bedroom. Zelena started then stared. “Emma!”

The blonde gave her aunt a sheepish grin. “You should see your face.”

Zelena was stunned at the raw power Emma had just displayed. She watched in shock as Emma gently woke Regina and got the very confused vampire onto her feet long enough to move from the floor to the bed. The brunette was asleep again as soon as her head hit the pillow. Emma glanced at the witch. “Help me get her boots off, will you?”

Zelena snapped out of her stupor. “You can transport three people across town, but you can’t magic off a pair of boots?”

“Transporting was easier. I knew who I wanted to be where. Boots are a little trickier.” She grinned again. “They have feet inside them.”

They got the boots off Regina and tossed the light throw blanket over her. With their immediate tasks complete, the witch eyed Emma. “For someone who was almost stabbed to death and then spent the last three days in a cell turning into an entire other being, you’re very calm.”

Emma looked down at herself. “I feel like I could sleep for a month. _After_ , I take a shower.” She gently moved hair off of Regina’s face. “It’s a bit much to take in, but, I’ve been around weirdness all of my life whether I knew it or not. Given everything that’s happened the past ten years, this doesn’t seem that strange.”

“I believe your barometer for strange is severely maladjusted.”

She nodded then tilted her head as though she were listening. “Oh, that’s going to take getting used to.”

“What is?”

The doorbell rang and Emma indicated it. “Snow’s at the door.”

Both women began to laugh, the tension releasing in a moment of profound relief. Zelena nodded towards the ensuite bathroom. “Why don’t you take a shower, and I’ll deal with your mother?”

“Deal,” Emma agreed easily. “And Z, after that, I am kind of hungry.”

The admission confirmed what the witch had already suspected; after all, Emma was always hungry. “Now there’s the girl I raised.”

Zelena grinned and headed for the front door before Snow knocked it down.


	35. Chapter 35

Three days later and Regina was once again sitting in an uncomfortable hospital chair, waiting in the room of someone she hoped would soon wake. The sun was setting and Regina was expected at Granny’s for the celebratory post-battle gathering before everyone went their separate ways.

Rumple had already disappeared back to New York. The Montreal wolf pack had left the day after the fight while Regina had still been sleeping, but Snow’s pack, the dwarves, and the merry men were still gathered. Killian was the only pirate anyone expected to see as his crew (and Granny) found the Rabbit Hole to be an establishment much more to their liking.

Despite Snow’s entreaties, Regina had been reluctant to attend, but Emma and Red had surprisingly cajoled her into agreeing. Zelena claimed Regina had gone soft before admitting that she too would be there. There was, however, one person who wouldn’t be in attendance.

Tinkerbell had taken the hardest hit during the fight. Her back had been broken by the headstone she’d struck, and after three days it seemed she was finally close to regaining consciousness. Regina waited in the shadows, giving the pixie a few minutes to gather herself before she realized she had company.

“I know you’re there,” Tink grumbled after several minutes, “even if I can’t see you.”

Regina smirked; she’d missed the fiery pixie. She stepped out of the shadows. “It’s about time you woke up.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Tink snapped, trying to sit up but unable to do so. Her breath quickly became labored as she struggled. “What did you do to me?”

Regina held up a hand, hoping the fairy would calm down before she hurt herself further. “I didn’t do anything. You were hurt fighting with the Master.”

“I can’t feel my legs,” Tink admitted, the fear in her voice easy for anyone to hear.

“Your back was broken,” Regina explained. “I can help you, but I wanted to wait.”

The blonde glowered at her. “Wait for what? Me to beg? Oh, please, Regina, please save me?”

The remark hit harder than the brunette wanted to admit, but if anyone deserved their anger at her, it was Tinkerbell. “No,” Regina said, clearing her throat. “I waited because I didn’t know if you’d _want_ my help. After all, we do have a complicated history.”

“A complicated history?” Tink snorted. “That’s quite a diplomatic way of describing it.”

“They told me what you did in the fight, how you got close to him and then attacked him,” Regina said. “Why? Why would you do that?”

The blonde looked away. “He’s the reason Blue and the others thought they had to reverse the curse.”

“Vampires can’t hold fairies under their thrall,” Regina argued mildly.

“I know that,” Tink snapped. “But he’s the one that put the thought into her head. He’s the one that convinced her it was the right thing to do. Rheum Ghorl was no angel, but she was a _good_ fairy.”

Regina bit her tongue, holding back her true thoughts concerning Rheum Ghorl. Antagonizing Tinkerbell wouldn't help what she hoped to do here, although she had to admit that the Master having an influence over Blue did explain the dark magic she had tasted.

“Anyway, the first night he arrived in town, he came to me," Tink said, pulling Regina from her thoughts. "He assumed I was just like them. Told me how sorry he was and how much he’d admired Blue. He told me all about the plans they’d made together; how he’d comforted her over the necessary act of killing Emma.”

“And what did you tell him?” It was the question Regina had been wanting to ask ever since she’d heard about Tink’s actions.

“Nothing that wasn’t common knowledge,” she said hotly. “I told him I hated you.”

Regina had to admit that _was_ common knowledge.

“He believed me. Thought I’d help him take you down.” Tink’s shoulders twitched. “I really thought the dreamshade would hurt him.”

“It did.”

The blonde looked down at her legs. “Not enough.”

Regina placed her hands on the bed’s side rail. “Will you let me help you?”

Tink swallowed hard. “I’ll be able to walk again?” Regina nodded. “And it won’t…affect me? Being healed by dark magic? By _your_ magic?”

The vampire shook her head. “No, you’ll still be free to hate me as much as you want.”

Tink considered her answer. “It doesn’t mean that I’ll forgive you for what you did.”

“It doesn’t mean that I’ll ever regret my actions,” Regina countered, “but I never wanted to hurt you. I don’t enjoy seeing you injured now.” The fairy still hesitated. “Please, Tinkerbell, allow me to heal you.”

Finally, the blonde nodded. Regina relaxed and held her hands over Tink’s broken body. “This may tingle a bit.”

Tink gasped as feeling returned and within minutes it was over. She could wiggle her toes again and she pushed herself up, allowing Regina to briefly assist her. She breathed a sigh of relief and glanced sideways at the brunette. “Thank you.”

Regina stepped back, giving her space. “You may have had your own reasons, but you helped protect my family. It’s me who is thanking you.” The silence that fell was awkward between them. “You should probably still stay here tonight, just to be sure.” 

Tink nodded. She watched the brunette silently gather her things in preparation to leave.  "Regina, I..."

The brunette paused.

"I'm glad you and Emma are both okay," the pixie finally managed to say.

"Both of us?" Regina asked. "You sure about that?"

"Yeah." Tink shrugged. "I wouldn't want anybody else killing you before I get a chance."

"Anytime, anyplace, Pixie."

Tink smirked.

As she left the hospital, Regina sent out several texts, assuring Zelena she was still coming to Granny’s, and promising Emma she wasn’t ducking out. The drive from the hospital to the diner was short, and she parked around back. She’d just gotten out of the car when the phone buzzed again with an incoming message. She slid her thumb over the screen and saw Emma’s face at the same time a thick, muscular arm wrapped around her from behind, knocking the phone from her hands and pinning her arms at her sides. A large hand clamped over her mouth as she was dragged backwards into lengthening shadows.

Regina’s magic pulsed against the broad chest at her back and she heard a male grunt of pain, but the reactive magic wasn’t enough. She was thrown against the alley’s wall and pinned. She felt her cheek scrape against the brick as the hand covering her mouth slipped off, tangling in her hair. She gathered her magic, intending to inflict it outwards with a lot more force this time when she felt a needle sink deep into her neck. Paralyzing pain ignited in her blood, and she screamed deep in her throat. Her magic folded inwards and tried to keep her upright, but her body was already shutting down, dropping her into the hands that were trapping her.

“A dose of concentrated dreamshade to help you sleep…my Queen.”

The Master’s voice chased her straight into oblivion.


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning: We've got about five chapters of this story left to go! 
> 
> Thank you to everyone for reading!

** 6 months later  
**

The farthest northern corner of Storybrooke’s forest looked like a war zone. Large trees that had stood long before a curse had been inflicted on the area exploded into splinters of wood so small they wouldn’t fill a bucket. Green and white magic flew through the air in bursts and fireballs, shields and waves of power destroyed anything caught in their path.

The ground bucked beneath Zelena’s feet, and she returned the favor by whipping tree roots up from the mud, entangling Emma’s boots. The blonde growled and turned them to ash with a flick of her hand. She flung a mini-boulder that she wouldn’t have been able to pick up with her bare hands at the witch’s head. Zelena sent it careening back before calling a halt to the fight.

Emma bent over, hands on her knees, panting. “You’re _still_ holding back!”

“Yes, I am,” the witch admitted. “I have no intention of getting my sister back only to have her filet me because I destroyed you inside a tornado.”

“If the Master can survive it, so can I!” Emma regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. No one was taking Regina’s disappearance harder than her sister. “Z. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-”

A blast of magic knocked Emma on her ass.

“Okay.” She blinked up at the sky. “I deserved that.” Green flame filled her vision and she scrambled to roll out of its way. “Hey!” The fireball hit the ground where she’d been, but she didn’t have time to think about it as more balls of crackling energy were flying at her. She dove away from them, palms hitting dirt and roots as more flame pursued her, and all she could do was barely stay ahead of it. “Enough Z, damn it!!”

“Stop talking and fight back!”

Churned earth snagged Emma’s boot and sent her sprawling, fire licked at her calves, burning through denim and scorching skin. Emma hissed and felt her fangs descend. She flung a hand out sending a shockwave followed by her own version of fireballs. Then she was on her feet, hand outstretched in the direction of the witch’s throat and squeezed. “That. Hurt.”

Zelena was ten feet away, barely able to breathe around the pressure on her throat. “It was…supposed to.”  She conjured a fireball, but Emma yanked the magic out of her hand. The witch smirked, “Good.”

A fallen tree limb floated into the air and swung for the blonde’s head. Emma sensed it and ducked at the last second, losing her grip on Zelena’s throat. She came up from her roll with magic in both hands only to find the witch gone. She spun around, scanning the whole area before growling in frustration and destroying a tree stump with the magic.

“ _That_ was much better,” Zelena said, reappearing behind her. “You finally stopped thinking and just felt it.”

Emma sunk to her knees thoroughly exhausted. ‘Where were you when Regina was drilling me with magical theory at eighteen?” She gladly accepted the water bottle her aunt offered her. “She insisted I think!”

Zelena chuckled and sipped at her own water. “That’s what you needed then. This is what you need now.”

Wood smoke hung heavy in the air mixing with the scent of fresh dirt and split wood. Emma looked around at the destruction they’d caused. Over the past six months, they’d leveled several acres of forest and her body felt it. She’d spent most of the time learning to control her magic with Zelena, but Killian had also taken time to refresh her sword fighting skills as well as helping her cope with being a vampire. The wolves were always ready for a fight and she’d sparred with one or more of them at least once a week. She’d even taken basic archery lessons from Robin.

Even if she hadn't had vampire genes, Emma was in the best physical shape of her life. Her magic was stronger than ever; her fighting skills were far deadlier, and yet they still didn’t know if it would be enough to save Regina. Emma finished her water and looked up at Zelena. “Were you able to see her today?”

“Briefly.” The Master had a protection spell up against any sort of viewing in his castle, but Zelena’s blood connection to Regina allowed her to catch glimpses of her sister almost anywhere. “No change.”

That meant Regina was still isolated, still in a dark cell, and still counting on them to do something about it. Emma pushed to her feet and shook out her hands. “Let’s go again.”

Zelena shook her head. “No. We’re meeting at the diner with the others in an hour.” She looked down at her dirt covered clothes. “I refuse to attend looking dirtier than a wolf. I’ll meet you there.”

Emma grabbed her aunt’s hand before she could leave. “I am sorry, Z. I didn’t mean what I said.”

The witch nodded and dumped the remainder of her water on a smoldering tree stump. “I just wish I knew how the bastard escaped.”

That was one of many problems they’d faced since the night Regina had gone missing. At first, everyone had just thought she was avoiding the party despite her reassurances. Then Ruby had taken some garbage out to the back and seen the Mercedes parked in its usual spot; they’d found Regina’s cell phone minutes later.

Since that night, it had been an all-out endeavor to try and find a way to get to the Enchanted Forest. Finally, after six months, they were close. Rumple had apparently found something in New York that could help them. Something powerful enough that he wouldn’t talk over the phone about it. It made Emma’s magic itch just thinking about it.

Zelena felt it. “Stop that. We’ll know soon enough what the imp is up to. Go home. Get cleaned up.”

Emma bounced on the balls of her feet, a different sort of energy flowing into her muscles. “Think I’ll get something to eat first.”

Zelena saw the change wash over the young vampire. Emma wasn’t subtle with her changes yet like Regina or Hook. She was much more feral, more dangerous. The predator energy nearly vibrated off of her. The witch watched the way the blonde’s muscles twitched in anticipation of a hunt and shook her head. “Try not to be late.”

An hour and twenty minutes later, Emma was the last one to arrive at the diner. Killian sat outside, drinking and waiting for her. He smirked at her damp hair and still slightly wild look. When he saw red streaks on her neck, he used his hook to move aside the collar of her jacket. A set of fresh scratches stretched out from beneath the neck of her shirt. He’d warned her to leave the bears alone. “What’s this?”

She grinned, her eyes bright with her blood lust still near the surface. “Ran into a wolf I didn’t know.”

He glanced worriedly towards the diner. “Swan, you didn’t?”

“No, of course not,” she said, walking past him towards the door, “but man, we both really wanted that deer.” The bell over the door jingled as she pushed it open and walked inside the diner.

“Ah, now that the Savior has decided to grace us with her presence,” Rumple snarked from his place by the bar, “we can get started.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Sorry.” She pulled out a chair at one of the center tables and dropped down on it. “Did I miss anything?”

“No.” Rumple took a small red box off the counter behind him and set in on the table in front of her. “This is how you’re going to get to the Enchanted Forest.”

Emma thought the box looked like it would have a cupcake in it. When she opened it and saw a carefully contained water lily, she frowned. “A flower? Seriously?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The vampire crouched in the dark shadows of the cell and listened to the scared whimpering of her dinner. The humans that were brought to her couldn’t see in the dark, but she could. Most huddled in the corner, eyes wide as they tried to see the monster that was locked in the cell with them. She doubted any of them imagined her the way she truly appeared, but that didn't make her any less of the monster they feared.

Regina wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but she knew she had been fed forty times. And by fed, she meant she had killed forty people.

Forty.

It was more people than she had killed in the past fifty years combined. At first, she’d tried not to kill them, drinking only enough to sustain herself, but that had resulted in a punishment worse than death. The Master had tortured them, refused them the quick death Regina could have granted and made her witness their every cry. She no longer tried to save them.

Every few days the Master brought her fresh meat. Usually they were already bleeding superficially so their scent filled the cell, made her mouth water. It was a tactic the Master had used before; it worked. He wasn’t starving her; he was addicting her. He was eroding the morals she had struggled so hard to reignite; he was desensitizing her.

She felt her fangs descend and knew that very soon, she would feed again.


	37. Chapter 37

_“A flower? Seriously?”_

“According to the Dragon, if you have enough power and enough belief,” Rumple pointed at the flower, “this will open a portal to wherever you need to go.”

“Uh-huh,” Emma said not daring to reach in and actually touch the delicate looking blossom. “And how do we get back?”

“Not my problem,” Rumple said, irritated that they were all staring at him in disbelief. “You asked for my help in rescuing Regina. This is it.”

“Wait, you’re not coming with us?” Emma asked, pushing the flower box down the table towards Snow.

“What do you need me for? You’re the one he wants, and,” he gestured to Zelena, “you already have a very powerful witch.”

“You’re forgetting something,” Zelena snapped, thoroughly irritated. “I can’t _go_ to the Enchanted Forest.”

“Because your mummy put a spell on you?” he mocked. “Well, have no fear. I taught Cora that spell. I can remove it.”

“What!” All the salt and pepper shakers and napkin holders began to shake on the tables. Coffee cups rattled against their saucers. “You mean I could’ve been over there this entire time?!” Snow steadied the flower box as Zelena’s rage grew. “You could’ve taken that spell off me whenever you wanted?!”

The free standing tables began to skitter across the floor and Leroy looked worriedly at the vibrating windows. Emma got to her feet. “All right, Z. Come on, calm down.”

Green flame ignited in the witch’s palm. “No! I won’t calm down. This damn imp left Regina over there facing Oz knows what when we could’ve been helping her this entire time.”

“And what would you have done if I’d told you sooner?” Rumple asked, completely nonplussed about the energy building in the diner. “Stormed over there and been taken prisoner yourself? Then who would’ve been around to teach Miss Swan magic?” He pointed at the blonde. “The Savior is your best chance for this plan of confronting the Master to work, and she needed the time to learn.”

“What about my sister and what she needed!” Three of the light bulbs hanging over the bar exploded.

He waved dismissively. “Regina is a survivor. She’ll be fine.”

Emma turned on her heel and threw a ball of white magic at the Dark One. It barely phased him, but it did catch him by surprise. It caught everyone by surprise. They’d all been watching the witch. Even Zelena glared at Emma. “That was mine to throw.”

“Yeah, well, you had more patience then I did,” Emma said, shaking out her hands, the tension in the room defusing with her. “You can fight with him later. Right now, we need him.” She glanced at the box Snow was protectively cradling. “All right, Rumple, how do we get this flower to work? And don’t think for a second, you aren’t coming with us.”

The corner of Rumple’s mouth pulled to the side. “Careful, dearie, you don’t give me orders.”

“I’m not,” Emma said quickly. “I’m making a deal with you. You help us, and I’ll owe you a favor.”

“Emma!” Zelena and Snow both snapped at the same time.

“Deal,” Rumple agreed before the offer could be rescinded.

Emma gave him a curt nod. Once they got Regina back and she found out about that little side deal, Emma knew she would need to hide for a month. “Now, what do you need to make the flower work and open the portal?”

“Wait.” Snow stopped them. “How do we get back?”

“Now that I can go there again,” Zelena sneered, “I can get us back. I know where mother hid the apprentice’s wand.”

“The who now?” Emma asked.

“Cora possessed the apprentice’s wand?” Rumple asked.

“Aww, sad that you didn’t remove the spell from me earlier?” the witch mocked. “Maybe you should have made a deal with me.”

He countered easily, “Give me that wand, and I’ll consider my deal with Miss Swan fulfilled.”

“Whoa, hey now.”

“I’ll give you the wand in exchange for Emma’s deal, but only _after,"_ Zelena specified, "we all return safely from the Enchanted Forest."

“Deal.”

Emma's head was spinning. “What just happened?”

Killian scrubbed a hand over his face. “Wonderful. Can we get on with the rescuing now? Or shall we just leave the lass over there for another month or two?”

Everyone glared at him, but he had a point. Emma looked around the room. “I appreciate that everyone here wants to help, but magicals only on this trip.” She looked at Robin and Leroy. “He won’t be limited in his magic over there, and I doubt he’ll be pulling any punches this time.”

“Now, wait a minute, sister,” Leroy started.

“No.” Emma shook her head. She’d been thinking about this for a while now. “You need to stay here. You’ll be the last line of defense the town has if we don’t succeed.” 

“Emma-”

“I’m sorry, Robin,” she said, shutting him down. “If you go, you’ll be liabilities that we have to worry about protecting.” She tried to soften the blow slightly. “She wouldn’t want that, and I don’t want to have to face her if anything happens to you.”

Robin scowled but backed off.

“Anyone else that wants to go rescue Regina, meet back here in an hour. Bring whatever you need to take with you because we aren’t coming back without her.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Regina sat in the corner of her cell, arms draped over raised knees, resting her head against the wall. The Master was starting to dose her meals. She'd noticed it before with the dampening of her magic, but now she could feel that sharp tang of extra darkness he was lacing into the blood. And she could barely resist the overwhelming desire to feed again.

Her latest victim was crying, inadvertently drawing her attention back to him, but they both started as the lock slid on the door. Regina scrambled to her feet. Her victim was still alive; no one ever came in until she fed. Whatever was happening now was something new. New wasn’t good.

She blinked and held a hand up against the glare of light that spilled into the cell. The man in the corner started praying louder, gasping when he caught sight of her. She knew she didn’t look like the typical monster people think of lurking in the dark. She wondered though if he foolishly thought he was about to be saved.

The Master stepped into the light and Regina straightened defiantly. The piercing blue eyes raked over her. “Good morning, my Queen.” He held up a thick set of silver cuffs. “I’ve brought something for you to wear.”

Regina growled low in her throat at the sight of the cuffs. "You'll have to break my arms to get those on me."

He smirked and then frowned when the praying in the corner got louder. “That’s bothersome.” With a quick flick of his wrist a sharp crack of bone breaking filled the air and the prayers stopped. “Now, as I was saying, we’ve had a change of plans. It seems we have uninvited guests arriving shortly.” 

He sounded annoyed; Regina grinned. “I told you Emma was good at finding people.”

“Yes, well, I’ll be going out to meet them. You’ll be staying here.” He dragged the chain of the cuffs between his fingers. “Shall I assume you're going to make me do this the hard way?"


	38. Chapter 38

He was waiting for them when they arrived. He looked out of place in his button down shirt and slacks, standing in a field with a castle looming behind him. Emma had come through the portal first, and she kept a wary eye on him as everyone else emerged behind her.

“Hello, Emma,” he greeted. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“If you wanted to meet me so bad, maybe you shouldn’t have tried killing me all those times,” she said and heard Snow growl. She grinned. Her birth mother was not meek by any means, and she knew the wolf would gladly tear the bastard apart.

He waved off the accusation. “I admit I was a little short-sighted when you were young. It’s just I missed my queen,” he admitted with a shrug. “I wanted her back.”

“Where is she?” Zelena snarled, standing at Emma’s shoulder. “Where’s Regina? What have you done to her?”

“Done to her? I haven’t done anything to her,” he said, trying for an innocence he couldn’t even fake believably. “Do you really think I would’ve gone to all this trouble if I wanted to harm her?”

“Where’s. My. Sister.”

“She’s fine.” The Master waved his hand, and a tall mirror appeared at his side. Regina could be easily seen in the looking glass’ reflection. Her head was bowed chin to chest, her dark hair obscuring her face. Her arms were stretched over her head adorned with silver cuffs at the wrists that held her suspended from the ceiling. Emma swore and she heard the collective growling of the wolves.

The Master looked at the reflection and chuckled, “I’m pretty sure there’s a joke to be made here. She’d love to see you, but she’s a little hung up?”

Green flame roared to life in Zelena’s hand and the skies above began to darken.

The Master grinned. “She’s just been hanging around?”

The witch screamed, but Emma grabbed her wrist before she could hurl the fire. “He’s provoking you, Z!” She didn’t know why exactly, but it was clear he was and that was definitely not what they had planned.

“Aye, love, you should relax,” Hook said, his hand resting casually on the hilt of his sword. “We all know he can’t defeat Regina in a fight.” He looked over at the blonde man. “Fair or otherwise. In fact, I’d wager she’s been defying him at every turn. Isn’t that right, oh humble one?”

The Master flashed a tight, humorless smile, and the mirror disappeared. “I see you brought your pirate mascot with you again. How charming.” He looked down the line of wolves. “Oh wait, Charming would be that one.” 

The large brindle wolf snapped his teeth. The Master mockingly bared his teeth back at the wolves.

“Zelena, go!” Emma ordered into the witch’s ear. Her aunt glared for another second at Regina’s captor and then disappeared in a swirl of green smoke. Emma relaxed a fraction.

“Leaving so soon? That’s disappointing.” He waited until he had Emma’s full attention. “But not unexpected. I couldn’t get to the apprentice’s wand myself, blood magic protected it, but I was able to put up a spell around the area that should sufficiently trap the witch.” He smiled pleasantly. “And eventually suffocate her.”

“What?” Emma felt the blood drain from her face and even Rumple shifted his weight beside her.

“After that very uncomfortable tornado she sent me away with, a trap designed for her was really the least I could do in return. _Her_ powers, I respect.” He gestured at the line of them. “The rest of you, not so much.”

“Emma, send me to wherever Zelena went,” Tinkerbell said. “I can help her.”

Emma glanced at the Master. He shrugged. “It won’t help but by all means.”

Emma concentrated and sent the pixie to her aunt, hoping the fairy would be able to save her. Killian caught her eye and although he didn’t say the words, his expression was clear. He and the wolves were meant to be there to serve as defense. With Zelena out of the picture, they were down an offensive weapon they had been counting on.

“Enough of this,” Emma said, shaking out her hands. “Where’s Regina?”

“Now, now,” the Master chided, shaking a finger at her. “Wait your turn, Savior. I’m not finished talking to the grown-ups yet.” 

“Wh-” Emma found herself frozen in place unable to finish the outrage at being so dismissed.

Hook drew his sword and moved in front of her. “Bad form, mate.”

Rumple chuckled, glancing over the frozen wolves and savior. “You know that won’t hold her for long.”

“Long enough.”

“I suppose so.” Rumple moved forwards, closing the distance between them. “It seems you’ve got me all to yourself now. What is it you want, Qayin?” The Dark One scoffed at the Master’s look of surprise, “Oh yeah, I know your name.”

The Master inclined his head. “And I didn’t think anyone had been around for as long as I have.”

“You’ve been overconfident for centuries.” Rumple gestured towards Hook. “Even the pirate is as old as us. Oh, and for the record, destroying the curse wouldn’t have brought Regina back to this land. She wasn’t part of the curse.”

“It may not have brought her back directly, but she would’ve come,” Qayin argued and looked over at Emma. “The same way the Savior came for her. Maybe not in such a heroic endeavor as the child would’ve been dead, but revenge suits my queen better anyway. Mortals can be terribly predictable about their loved ones.”

“Are you claiming to be immortal now?” Rumple asked. “The delusions of grandeur continue, then?”

“No more than yours, Dark One,” he said and a blast of magic pulsed from his hands towards Rumplestiltskin.

Rumple twisted it easily and deflected it. “You’re going to have to do better than that, amateur.”

“Oh, I intend to.” His magic struck out again, tendrils of it clinging to Rumple longer than before. “Did you really think that you were the only ones preparing for this fight?” The Dark One stumbled back a step, batting at the cords of magic trying to wrap around him. “You’ve had the darkness long enough, old man. Now it’s time to share.”

Thorny black ribbons of magic began to ooze out of Rumplestiltskin as he tried to retreat; the Master followed every step he managed, continuing to pour magic into the smaller man. “Imagine what I’ll be able to do to this realm as the Dark One. I'll have the Evil Queen at my side,” he smirked at Emma, “and the Savior at my feet.”

Rumple sank to a knee as inky dark streams of magic were pulled from him, thickening the air around him. He closed his eyes in concentration and tried to teleport away.

“Unh, uh, uh,” Qayin laughed, adjusting his magic, “no running, coward. Not this time.” He pushed forward driving Rumple further to the ground. “I want it all.”

“NO!!” 

White magic slammed into the Master, causing him to stumble sideways, as Emma rushed forwards, her hands outstretched. The connection was broken and the darkness surrounding Rumplestiltskin swirled higher into the sky, hovering for a moment over the combatants. Emma ignored it as she threw white magic against the Master and Rumple stayed in a crumpled heap on the ground.

“Enough!” The Master regained his footing and blasted back against Emma’s magic, knocking her into Killian, taking them both to the ground.

A crack of thunder shattered across the clearing and everyone looked up as the darkness spun in the sky above them. Rumple reached a shaky hand upwards, entreating it, but the swirling vortex withdrew further into the sky. The cloud of black energy raged unchecked for several minutes, battering the field and everyone on it before flickering and disappearing from sight, leaving behind a deafening silence.

Qayin, the Master, recovered first. “Foolish child!” Emma had just regained her feet when she was hit again with magic and thrown fifty feet across the field. The Master followed, appearing next to her instantly. “Do you have any idea what you've done? The darkness was mine to claim if you hadn’t interfered.” His hand curled around her neck and lifted her off the ground until her feet were kicking in the air. “Forget fairies and poisons, Savior, I’m going to kill you with my bare hands.”


	39. Chapter 39

Emma clawed at the hand that was strangling her, her head throbbing at the lack of oxygen. She looked down into the madness of the crystal blue eyes that were watching her die. She needed to concentrate; she needed- The blade of a sword flashed in front of her face and sliced clean through the arm holding Emma in the air, dropping her to the ground.

The Master cursed and turned, a new arm already forming in place of the old. "You've outlived my interest, pirate."

"I've heard worse," Killian said, brandishing his sword. "Personally, mate, I'd be more worried about the teeth if I were you."

Maws of snarling teeth attacked from behind as the wolves used Hook's distraction to their benefit. The Master was bowled over, disappearing beneath rippling fur and muscle. The ball of wolf and man rolled within inches of Emma as she broke the fingers of the hand clutched around her neck in order to get it off. Flinging the arm away in disgust, she coughed, drawing in ragged breaths, but the pained yelp of a dog didn't let her rest. She got to her feet as the three attacking wolves and Killian were sent flying.

In an unnatural flash of movement, the Master was back on his feet, eyes blazing as he flicked dirt off his shirt. "You know, Savior, I was going to kill you quickly." Dark purple and black energy swirled in his palm. "But now? Now, I think I'll make it hurt."

"You should really get out more," Emma said, tired and aching more than scared, "get some new material."

The Master's magic slammed into the barrier Emma projected in front of herself. The force behind the hit pushed her backwards, feet sliding against the damp grass as she tried to keep upright. The energy building up between them drove her backwards, but her shield held. She heard him growl in frustration and felt the second hit as his efforts were redoubled. Sweat was beginning to roll down her back with the effort to keep her magic up. Something had to change, she couldn't hold the shield up indefinitely, plus she'd really like to knock him on his ass again.

The back of her heel hit something solid and she finally stopped sliding across the field. The scent of burnt apples hit her the second before she felt a burst of magic flow through her, forcing the energy pounding against her shield back at its master. Qayin stumbled backwards under the assault, and his battering ram of dark energy stopped.

“You should have absorbed the energy and made it your own rather than wasting it all by simply deflecting it,” a rough, low voice said in Emma’s ear. “Idiot.”

Emma spun on the spot, the Master forgotten, and threw her arms around the woman standing behind her. “Regina! You’re all right!” She stepped back and reconsidered. “Are you all right?”

Regina was wearing clothes like Emma had never seen, a dark dress of simple loose cloth and design that hung all the way to the ground layered beneath a black hooded robe that hung equally as long. Dark black patterns with accents of silver and red were embroidered in the thick cloth of the robe. Long, overly large sleeves covered all the way down to Regina’s fingertips. Her hair was slicked back like it was wet and the red in her eyes shown a deep maroon beneath pale skin.

Regina blinked at the concern. “I’m fine.” At Emma’s raised eyebrow, she conceded, “I’m well enough for now. We can discuss it later.”

Emma repressed the shudder she felt at the scent of blood and magic on Regina’s breath. She stuffed her concern down; they _would_ discuss everything later whether her aunt had meant that sincerely or not, but for now they had other concerns. She stepped aside, allowing Regina to move past her and towards Qayin.

The Master appeared utterly enthralled at Regina’s appearance. “My Queen,” he breathed, looking her up and down. “You did it.”

She walked right up to him and without hesitation ripped his heart out of his chest. She began to squeeze the blackened lump of flesh. “Do you remember the promise I made if you ever came near my family?”

Emma felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up at the seductively low voice. Every instinct she had, both human and vampire, was scared of the dark promise held in Regina’s tone. The woman was in full predator mode.

“It feels good…doesn’t it?” Qayin gasped out, the heart clenched in Regina's hand beginning to crack under her pressure. “You’ve finally…embraced it.”

Emma glanced between the two, carefully watching as Regina slowly advanced, circling the Master as he sunk to his knees. “Embraced what?” she asked. “What has she embraced?”

“Ssshh.” Regina drew a fingernail across his shoulder blades; he hissed in pain.

“You can do…so much now…” He fell forward, his hands sinking slightly in the earth as they took his weight. Emma saw a long, smoldering burn across his shoulders and through his shirt where Regina had touched him. “My…Queen.”

Regina snatched at his scalp, digging her fingers into his short hair, stretching his neck back at an uncomfortable angle. “I was _never_ your queen.” Her hand holding the heart squeezed until the lump turned to dust. “I was never _yours_.”

Emma’s eyes widened as the dust drifted from Regina’s hand; the sheer casualness of it taking her by surprise more than the actual death. If he was indeed dead, she knew the stories and how Snow had thought they’d killed him before. After that misunderstanding, she’d never been really clear on how they were supposed to make sure he was finished this time. “How do we know-?”

She didn’t get any further with her question before Regina ripped the Master’s head from his neck. Emma flinched openly at the spray of blood and the way the body flopped to the ground. It was the first time in six months the smell of blood hadn’t enticed her. “Regina…”

But her aunt wasn’t finished. Taking a step back, the brunette did a complicated twist with her hand before expanding it outwards with a harsh thrust. There was a ripping, squelching sound as the master’s body was torn into several pieces. Emma turned away as she gagged at the unexpected dismemberment.

She wasn’t prepared for the harsh darkness of Regina’s magic, and she felt its aftershock ripple across her. The unexpected energy pricked at her skin and whispered to her. She felt a surge of hate and anger well up inside her. Every dark emotion she’d experienced the last six months was brought forth ten-fold. She shook with her sudden desire to rage and destroy.

The touch of a wet nose nudging the palm of her hand drew her attention downwards. Snow, in her wolf form, nuzzled her hand and leaned against her leg.

Emma’s surroundings crashed back in on her, and she heard the crackle and whoosh of fire behind her. She didn’t want to look so she patted Snow’s head and felt the wolf trembling against her. “Snow, are you hurt?”

The wolf whined, but straightened away from Emma and shook herself from head to tail. She turned around and sat down on her haunches, nuzzling David when his large brindle form sidled next to her. Emma wondered if maybe she wasn’t the only one hit with a dark magic whammy. Zelena had mentioned something before about – “Zelena!”

She spun around and managed to ignore the several small bonfires that Regina had set. Hook stood next to the brunette, an unconscious Rumple at his feet, appearing nonplussed at the grisly sight before him and looked only slightly worse for wear. Regina however frowned. “What about her?”

“She’s here! But-”

“She’s here?! How?”

“Rumple took the curse off,” Emma explained quickly, waving it off. “She went to get the apprentice’s wand. She said Cora hid it here, but then he,” she waved vaguely at the fires, “said he’d left a trap for her. Tink went to get her-”

“You sent a pixie to help her!” Regina snarled and then held up her hand to stop any further explanation. She closed her eyes in concentration, her fingers moving slightly in the air.

A few seconds later, a swirl of black smoke deposited a soaking wet Tinkerbell and Zelena onto the field in front of them. Both women were immediately coughing and gagging, spitting up water as they tried to catch their breath. Tink embraced the ground as though it were the best thing she’d ever seen, but Zelena was seething.

“What…the hell…I’m going…to kill him!!” she snapped out as best she could between coughing and trying to breathe. “That son of a bitch…almost drowned us.”

Killian knelt beside Tink and offered her a hand up. She sat up and leaned against him. “Containment area…kept filling up…then emptying.”

The witch struggled to her feet, using Ruby’s large bulk to steady herself before Emma caught her by the elbow. “Where is he?”

“Dead.”

Zelena spun around almost toppling herself over again. “Regina!” She took a few steps towards her sister and then stopped. She eyed the brunette more closely, face scrunching slightly in study. “Regina?” The witch extricated herself from Emma and closed the distance to her sister, taking Regina's face in-between her hands. “Oh, sister, you have gone dark.”

Regina took Zelena’s hands down from her face and held them tight in front of her. “As dark as one can go,” she admitted.

“Wait, what’s going on?” Emma asked, her heart hammering in her chest with suspicions.

Zelena moved to stand at her sister’s side as Regina raised her chin and looked at Emma. “I’m the Dark One.”


	40. Chapter 40

** Epilogue – 3 Years Later **

Emma was going cross-eyed, staring at email after email regarding the three clubs Regina owned and operated. The accountants and managers had all been hand-selected by Regina and were very well compensated for their work which meant the clubs were running extremely smoothly even without the brunette having checked on them since she became the Dark One. The brunette had been so obsessively organized about how her businesses were run, it really wasn’t necessary for Emma to worry, but since the liquor license needed to be renewed on one of the clubs, she thought she might as well look at the books.

Regina was the sole owner and proprietor of two of the hottest clubs New York City had to offer. She also owned a rough and tumble biker bar on the Lower East Side. Emma had visited it a few times; it had been a little dicey until they realized she was a relative of Regina’s. After that, she’d been treated like family, and it had quickly become Ruby’s favorite place to visit when she was in town. It was a rough enough place that even as a vampire Emma had always felt it best to keep her back to the wall. Despite her efforts, she couldn’t imagine Regina being in a place like it until she saw a picture behind the bar with the brunette decked out in tight, black leather pants and a sleeveless maroon top, her arm was slung around Killian’s shoulders and they were both flashing a 'rock on' hand sign. She'd borrowed the picture long enough to make a copy of it for herself. The next time Killian was in town, he would be pressed for details. 

"You missed lunch," Javier said, breaking Emma away from her non-seeing study of spreadsheets and bank statements.

He refrained from saying ‘again’ but Emma heard it all the same. She inhaled deeply and felt the smile spread across her face. “Is that grilled cheese for me?”

Despite Regina’s warnings, Emma had refused to give up eating real food. There had definitely been a gastrointestinal adjustment period she’d had to work through, and she never _needed_ to eat food, but she’d finally gotten to the point that she could eat whatever she wanted whenever she wanted to. “Why are you so good to me, Javier?”

“There’s more to life than coffee,” Javier groused, sliding the tray across the desk. “That’s one habit Miss Regina shouldn’t have taught you.” He winked at her. “And because she’d skin me alive if I was ever mean to you.”

“You know that isn’t true. She loves you too much.”

“Hmph, let’s keep that between you and me.”

Emma studied him as she dug into the late lunch he’d prepared for her. His hair was thinning although he kept it dark and there were laugh lines at the corners of his eyes. She often wondered about him; why he stayed, why he kept the secrets he did, if he would’ve ever taken the job if he’d known then what he must certainly know now. “Javier, can I ask you something?”

He gave her a long side-eye. “As long as it isn’t one of those questions we don’t talk about.”

She rolled her eyes and took another bite of her sandwich. Ever since she’d turned eighteen and found out about her family and their world, she’d tried to get Javier to admit what he knew about them. For every question she’d asked, he’d simply said there were some things he would not discuss. Finally, one day, Regina had cornered her and told her to drop the subject.

“No,” Emma drawled. “I’ve learned my lesson on that topic.” She ignored his noise of disbelief. “Are you afraid of Regina?”

Javier adjusted the crystal glasses that were set out on top of the liquor cabinet. “No,” he said, giving Emma a soft smile, “I haven’t been afraid of her in a long time.”

Emma regarded him curiously. “But you were once?”

“Oh, yes,” he laughed and nodded. “She terrified me for a long time. She has power; she knows it, and she wields it with the precision of a surgeon. If you aren’t sure where you stand with her, and you aren’t at least a little bit afraid of her, you’re a fool.” He shook his head still smiling. “I am many things, Miss Emma, but a fool is not one of them.”

“No, you are not,” she agreed, leaning back in her chair. “What changed? What made you not afraid of her anymore?”

For the first time since they’d been talking, he looked uncomfortable, like he’d said too much. Then he sighed and sank into the chair on the opposite side of the desk. “She took care of one of my boys.”

“Took care of?” Emma repeated, her head cocking to the side. She knew Javier’s twin sons. They were only a few years younger than her. She’d grown up playing with them on and off throughout the years. “What do you mean?”

The butler shifted in his seat, his hands clasped tightly together in his lap. “Do you remember one time when you were about ten years old, and you and Miss Zelena came up here and stayed for a week because Miss Regina wasn’t feeling well?”

Did she? Yes. “She stayed in bed almost the whole week. I’d never seen Regina sick before.” She smiled, rethinking her actions. “I tried to get her to eat ice cream because it always made me feel better.”

He nodded. “Well, Tristan, he was…a sickly child, always in and out of the hospital. When he was six, they were finally able to determine the problem. It was life threatening, if he didn’t get the proper treatments. I had to ask off of work for about a month.” A ghost of a smile flitted across his face. “I think that was probably the maddest I ever saw Miss Regina get at me.”

“What? Why?” Emma was appalled. “Surely, she could make her own damn coffee for a month.”

Javier laughed and waved her off. “No, no, no. She was mad because it was the first time she was hearing about it. I hadn’t told her before about Tristan’s health problems. You can imagine how she reacted.”

Yes, yes she could. “She went into full action mode, didn’t she?”

“To say the least,” he admitted ruefully. “I was, at least, accustomed to it. Poor Devin was rather startled when she stormed into the hospital room asking him questions about our son’s health and doctors and everything else under the sun that was not really any of her business. Prior to that meeting, he’d only ever seen her in polite mayor mode.” 

Emma chuckled. “The woman can build up a head of steam.”

“And its best to get out of her way until she’s finished.”

“So, what did she do? Bring in a different doctor? A specialist or something?”

“No, there wasn’t much she could do or so I thought. Tristan had already been seen by the best. It’s why they’d finally been able to make a diagnosis; it’s why we were at the children’s hospital,” he said, the memory of that time driving away the humor. “So we started the treatments. They were experimental in nature and after four of them, there was no change in his condition. The doctors were discouraged, but they wanted to keep trying. Maybe it would just take a few more doses. We had to try. So, I told Miss Regina I would need another month. She assured me that I should take as much time as I needed.” He paused, swallowing back emotion. “That night was the first time I saw her.”

Emma raised an eyebrow. “Saw her?”

“It was late, way late, like three in the morning. I was asleep in Tristan’s room on one of those horrible fold out sofas, and something woke me up. I don’t know what. It wasn’t a noise or anything like that; I just woke up, and she was there, standing beside his bed with her hand over his heart.” It wasn't a sight Javier was ever likely to forget. “There wasn’t a lot of light in the room, just some machines and a nightlight in the bathroom, but there was also a glow where her hand was touching my son.” 

Emma did her best not to react; she didn’t realize she’d stopped breathing which was as much of a tell as anything. Regina had used magic on Javier’s son. Regina had used magic, and Javier had seen it.

He released a deep breath at the admission. “I didn’t move; I didn’t say anything. I just watched as she stood there for a few moments and then the glow died out. She brushed her fingers through his hair, and then she was gone.” He gave a nervous chuckle. “She was wearing her heels, of course, but I swear I didn’t hear a single footstep when she left. I don’t know how she did it. One moment she was there and the next she wasn’t.” 

Emma swallowed and remembered to breathe. “Then what happened?”

Javier wiped a quick hand under his eyes. “The treatments started to work. Tristan started to get better.”

Something Javier had said tugged in Emma’s mind. “You said that was the _first_ time you saw her.”

He nodded. “She showed up every other night; every night I stayed and Devin went home. She was never there for long, maybe only a couple of minutes. After a month, Tristan was given the all clear. He was in perfect health. As far as anyone else was concerned, the treatment plan worked, but I knew better. I _know_ better,” he insisted. “After we got Tristan home and settled, I came to the penthouse to talk to Miss Regina, but you and Miss Zelena were here. She was sick in bed and her sister was taking care of her; she told me to go home and be with my family. When I came back to work a week later, everything was back to normal.”

“Normal,” Emma repeated. “And that was it? You never spoke about it?”

“I thanked her once. She told me I had more than earned the time off. When I tried again to be more specific, she changed the subject. Anytime I tried, she changed the subject.” He shrugged. “I don’t know how or what she did, but I know she saved my son. I suspect that she knows I know, but we have never spoken of it. I never even told Devin.”

Emma was surprised by the admission; she’d been surprised by the whole damn conversation. "Why are you telling me?"

Javier considered her question. “I’ve always wanted someone to know, and I just didn’t think you’d be all that shocked by it.” He gave her a sly smile and pushed to his feet. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s almost time for me to go home.” He picked up the emptied tray and walked towards the hall. “Try not to be too mad at her when she comes back. I’m sure wherever and whatever she’s been up to these past few years hasn’t been easy.”

“What? I’m not mad…” He was gone before she could finish. She sighed. Regina had healed Tristan with magic. Tristan, a sickly child who was currently an officer with the Marine Corps and had been a three sport American All Star in high school and college. Regina, whose magic had been low at the time because it had been tied off with Emma, had used magic to the point she'd made herself sick.

Regina, the first vampire Dark One. Regina, the aunt-stepgrandmother-sire, that Emma had barely seen in three years. Not that she was mad at Regina. She wasn't, but she wished she knew where the woman was and what she was up to. It'd be nice to know if she was all right... Sighing, Emma scrubbed a hand over her face.

She was rescued from returning to bar inventories and employee salaries by her phone whistling a cheery tune. Her mother was calling.

“Emma?”

“Hi, Mom,” she said happy to have a reason to close out the spreadsheets. “Wha-?”

“James and Ruby are gone,” Snow said, talking over Emma in a rush. “They’re not with you, are they?”

Emma glanced unnecessarily around the empty study. “No, I haven’t seen them.” She frowned. “What do you mean they’re gone?”

“I didn’t think they would be, not with the others…but I’d hoped,” Snow said breathlessly, not finishing her thoughts. “No, she said they’re not with her. Why would they go there? Fine, I’ll ask her.”

Emma listened as her mother spoke to her dad without putting the phone down. “What others? What’s going on? Mom!”

“Sorry,” Snow said, her attention returning back to Emma. “What about Zelena? Could they be at her place?”

“Could _who_ be at her place?” Emma asked. “What are you talking about?”

“Ruby, Thomas, and Mack are all missing.”

A tendril of concern began to worm its way around Emma's chest. “Mom, that’s almost half the pack.”

“And your brother.”

Emma was on her feet. “All right, what do you mean by missing? Did they not come for dinner or have they not been seen in days?”

“I haven’t seen Thomas and Mack for a few days but that’s not unusual. James never came home last night; Ruby didn't show up for work this morning,” Snow said. “That’s not all. We’re hearing rumors that wolves from other packs are going missing too.”

“But Mom, James isn’t a wolf.”  James, her nineteen years old brother who was taller than her and even more broad in the shoulders than their father. 

Snow hesitated. “If we were in a land with magic, he would be.”

Emma blinked. She hadn’t thought about it, but it was true she supposed. “Wait, what are you saying? Do you think-”

“I don’t know, Emma,” Snow said almost crying. “I don’t know if they left, or if they’re lost. I don’t know if something happened to them, or if someone…”

She couldn’t finish the thought but Emma did. “Or if someone took them.” Silence was her mother’s only response. “Okay, let me get a few things together, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Emma,” Snow said, “I think you should call her.”

The blonde froze halfway down the hallway, her heart thudding in her chest.

“Emma, I know you don’t want to, but we don’t know what’s going on. She might,” Snow said when her daughter’s silence carried on for too long.

“Mom, I can’t…it’s just not right,” Emma finally stuttered out.

“If James is in trouble, if Ruby is in trouble, she’d want to help.”

Emma swallowed thickly. She knew her mother was right and she nodded. “All right.”

She slid the phone off and slowly made her way back to the library; she sat at the desk she had so recently vacated. She took a calming breath and built her magic in her palm, then moved her hand beneath the desk top. She slid her fingers along invisible locks that responded only to specific magic and triggered a release. A long, slim onyx box slid out from a well-crafted hiding space. It was cool to the touch as she cradled it and brought it up to the top of the desk.

She shook out her magic and brought another spell to mind as she ran her hand over the top of the box. An apple tree insignia of pure silver inlaid on the onyx rippled into view. The magic recognized her and the latches for the box opened. She lifted the lid and reverently picked up the dagger from its bed of black satin.  

Emma ran her fingers over the name engraved on the blade. She wished she didn’t have to do this, but she gripped the hilt firmly in her hand. “Regina, Dark One, I summon thee.”

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. 
> 
> This story started off in my head with the scene where Werewolf Snow and Vamp Regina are squaring off about Reg turning Emma into a vampire. I had no idea or intention for this to become anything more than a standalone story, but the characters told me different as I went along. I have the general idea and a few scenes in my head for how the next story will go, but nothing is written yet so I unfortunately can't give you a time estimate. In the meantime, thanks again and hope to see you next time!


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